The Sand Man
by jremme
Summary: Brennan gets asked to consult on an investigation in the Florida Keys, and naturally, Booth and the squints tag along! BB romance and fluff,of course. I love fluff! Also,established HA, and Zach is just there...he doesn't get anyone, poor guy! COMPLETE!
1. a family affair

**A/N: Ok, this is my first attempt at a multi-chapter Bones fic, so be gentle! The idea came to me driving home from work, of all times. Anyways, reviews are welcome and treasured. I don't own anything in this chapter or any following. Thank you, and enjoy!**

**The ****Sand Man**** by Jremme**

**Chapter 1: ****A family affair**

Devon Fitzgerald happily dug in the sand on the beach in Marathon Florida. The 6 year old was having a great time. It was his first real vacation, at least the first one he could remember. His parents had told him of others when he was younger, but he couldn't recall any of them. He was going to build the biggest sand castle on the beach. He returned his mother's wave and continued digging vigorously in the sand.

He dug deeper and deeper, creating a good sized pile of sand to use in his sand castle. After about a half hour of digging, his plastic shovel connected with something hard, and he felt a burst of excitement.

"_Buried treasure_," he thought, digging even more furiously than he had before. His excitement gave way to confusion and then wonderment at his discovery. He ran over to his mother.

"Mom, mom, I found the coolest thing in the sand!" He grabbed her hand and dragged her over to the hole he'd dug to show her what he had unearthed. His mother's eyes grew big, and she gasped, covering her mouth with a hand, and trying not to let her son see how scared she was.

"John?" She called her husband over. Devon's father came jogging over, stopping abruptly when he saw what his wife and son were looking at.

"I'll go find someone," he said nervously, and headed off to find a lifeguard who could contact the proper authorities; leaving his family gazing at the clean white skull Devon had dug up.

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"Hey, Bones!"

Dr. Temperance Brennan sighed, trying to let the irritation at the nickname slide off her back. She should have been used to it by now. She lifted her head from the skeleton she was studying to face her partner, Seeley Booth, as he trotted up the stairs to the platform she was currently occupying, her team hovering around her awaiting orders.

"Do we have a case?"

"Technically, you do. Little boy unearthed a skull at a beach in Marathon, Florida. Local authorities are handling the case, but they want you to come down as a consult to help identify the victim."

"Why don't they just send everything up here?"

"C'mon, Bones, it's Marathon! In the Florida Keys! Who cares why they're not just sending them up here? You should be jumping at the chance to get away from all this." He gestured at the door, on the other side of which was cold and wind.

"I rarely jump, Booth. If the local authorities are handling it, why are you here?" Brennan asked. She had done consult work on her own before, and was a bit confused as to where Booth fit in with all this.

"I explained to them over the phone that you and I are Siamese twins; if they want you, they get me too. Part of the package. They weren't overly thrilled, but they agreed."

"The correct term is Conjoined twins, Booth, something we most certainly aren't. You could have just as easily explained that we always work together instead of lying to them."

Booth chuckled to himself. Good ol' literal Bones. She never disappointed.

"Well, I also had to promise to let them hold the reins," he admitted.

What did horses have to do with anything? "I don't know what that means."

"It means that I will allow them to be in charge of the investigation. I'll sit idly by, hopefully on the beach, while they conduct everything how they want."

"And you actually agreed to do that?" She knew it would be difficult for Booth not to take charge of the proceedings.

"I did. Like I said, it's the Keys. I'll do about anything to get out of here at this point. Anyhow, our plane leaves at 6, so be ready."

"I will. I just have a few things to take care of here, and then I can go home and get packed." She returned her attention to the skeleton in front of her, which Booth took as a sign that they were done for now. He turned and left the platform, back out into the cold.

The second the door had closed behind him, Angela Montenegro swooped in next to Brennan. As usual, she had heard everything, and she gave Brennan a huge smile before she spoke.

"Sooo, you and Booth in the Florida Keys, huh? Sounds romantic. White sand, crystal clear water, Sex on the Beach." Her smile faded into a wicked grin.

Brennan's eyebrow quirked up at the last mention, and she awarded her best friend with a Look.

"What was that last one? Because if you're implying what I think you're implying, know that I have absolutely no intention whatsoever of having sex on the beach, with Booth or anyone else. This is business."

"Oh, you thought I meant…no, no, no; I was talking about the drink," Angela's tone of voice, grin, and twinkling eyes gave away the fact that she had definitely NOT been talking about the drink.

Brennan shook her head at Angela, and then concentrated on finishing her work. Zach Addy, who had observing her inspection, took a breath, mulling his words over in his head before speaking.

"Have a safe trip, Dr. Brennan. I assure you that I can handle things while you're away. Can I put the tissue markers on that skull now? Don't worry about anything. I'll call you if I need anything." He moved his hands toward the skull on the table, and Brennan let him take it.

"I know you're capable Zach. I'm not worried." She removed her gloves and after saying good bye to Angela, Hodgins, and Zach, made her way out of the Jeffersonian to get packed.

"Don't forget to pack a bikini!" Angela yelled after her. Then she turned to Hodgins. "She'll forget to pack one. I know it."

"She said it was business. Why does she need a bikini for?" Hodgins looked puzzled.

"So she can look sexy for Booth, of course." Angela rolled her eyes. She loved Jack dearly, but sometimes he could be so oblivious. Men; they didn't know anything. She wished she were going with them, if only to give them that gentle push into a real relationship. Gentle push? Who was she kidding? A great big shove was what was actually needed. Or maybe she could just stick big magnets on them both so that they could be stuck together. She giggled at the thought of the magnets pulling them together, Brennan protesting all the way.

She blew a strand of hair out of her eyes in exasperation at her friend's constantly ignoring all the signs of her partner's feelings for her. Then she was struck with an idea. She had vacation time coming. She smiled at this prospect, and looked over at Hodgins.

"Do you have any vacation time saved up?"

"Yea, actually I do. Why?"

"Because I think we're due for a romantic getaway, don't you think?"

His blue eyes widened and a grin appeared on his face. "Yea, I totally agree with you. Where and when did you have mind, because Paris is really nice in the springtime."

"Actually, I was thinking of more like…now. In the Florida Keys. Marathon, to be exact." She looked pleadingly at Hodgins.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with Booth and Dr. Brennan going down there, would it? This is a romantic getaway for us, and not some chance for you to play matchmaker?" He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her lightly on her lips.

Angela smiled at him. "Can't it be both?" She kissed him back, deeper this time, knowing full well she would get her way. They didn't pull apart until they were aware of a pair of eyes watching them. They turned to see Zach, looking at them with his head tilted slightly to the side.

"I was merely observing the technique you were using. Don't mind me."

"How long were you standing there?" Hodgins asked.

"Long enough to know that you're planning to fly down to Marathon for a romantic excursion and that Angela is going to engage in manipulation, prodding, and most likely a host of other things to try and ease Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth into a relationship."

Hodgins shook his head at Zach in exasperation and turned back to Angela, his forehead resting against hers.

"All right, you win. We'll go." He backed away from her a bit, and looked at Zach. "See you later, Zach man. Looks like we have a flight to catch tonight. Are you done here, Ang?"

"Yea, I can't do anything else until Zach finishes the tissue markers anyway."

They collected their coats and left, leaving Zach alone on the platform.

He looked around, confirming the fact that he was by himself. He stood rooted to the spot for about 5 minutes, thinking before reaching a conclusion.

He went and grabbed his coat, heading out the door. He wasn't going to be left out this time. He, too, had a plane to catch.

Minutes later, Cam strode out of her office to see how the team was doing. She walked to the platform and noticed the lack of people. Where was everyone? She glanced at her watch. Well, it was later than she thought, so they all must have left to go home. She was a little surprised that Brennan hadn't stayed late, but then again, she'd put in a lot of hours lately, so she was probably feeling exhausted. Cam sighed, and walked back to her office to lock it up so she could go home for the night.

**A/N: Well, how was it? Hopefully, it wasn't too bad. Let me know if you think I should continue or not!**


	2. catching the flight

**A/N: Thank you to all who reviewed and everyone who read!! It means so, so much. You other authors out there know what I mean. I probably won't update this often in future, depending on inspiration, but those that I've heard from want more, and I don't want to keep y'all waitin! Enjoy! **

**Chapter 2****: catching the flight**

Booth ushered Brennan along through the airport to the concourse where he collapsed in a chair, sighing in relief that they'd managed to survive the crowds one more time. Brennan seated herself primly in the chair next to him, and glanced at the clock on the wall.

"It looks like we'll be boarding soon."

"Good." Although he spent a lot of time in airports, Booth wasn't overly fond of them. The overpriced coffee, for one thing, contributed to his opinion. He leaned back and slung an arm over the back of her chair. He felt her inch forward just a little, so that his arm wasn't touching her.

The movement struck him as a little strange, since he'd just had his hand on the small of her back, guiding her through the mass of bodies occupying the space of the airport. He shrugged it off, attributing it to yet another personality quirk of his partner. Ok with it one minute, uncomfortable with it the next.

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Angela pulled Hodgins along behind her inside the airport, searching for the concourse.

"I hope we don't miss the plane!" she said out loud, although with all the noise, she wondered if Jack even heard her. She gripped his hand even tighter, not wanting to lose him in all the bustle and chaos that surrounded them. She spotted the concourse up ahead, and felt a renewed burst of energy, breaking into a trot as she headed for it.

She heard a grunt from Hodgins as he tried to keep with her, but she ignored him. She was not going to miss this flight. The next one headed for Marathon didn't leave until tomorrow.

She stopped short at the entrance, causing Hodgins to bump into her from behind. He grunted again as he collided with her, and she shushed him.

"They're over there." She pointed them out, and noted the confused expression that clouded Jack's eyes.

"Then why are we over here watching them? We're like Zach, the closet voyeur." He rolled his eyes as he thought of the kid's actions earlier. If he had questions about interacting with women, he just had to ask.

"Because I don't want them to know we're here yet." She watched as Booth's arm went over the chair, and Brennan scooted forward.

"Why did she do that?" Angela wondered.

"Do what?" Hodgins wasn't paying attention.

"Never mind. We can head over there now, if you want to sit down."

"Thank you." He led her over to chairs a distance away from Brennan and Booth, and they sat down to await their boarding call.

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Zach sat in his taxi, thinking aloud about the flight.

"I really do not like flying. I know that many people do it; and that it's safer than motor vehicle travel, but I still do not like it. That's why I always take the bus whenever I go home."

"Real interesting, kid," the cab driver yawned. This guy was a piece of work. He'd been talking nonstop during the drive, mostly about skulls and bones and weird things like that, and the driver was thankful that they were almost to the airport.

"The bus is alright. It's not the most sanitary mode of transportation, but at least it keeps me on the ground. What about you? Have you flown? Or do you prefer the bus? Or perhaps you take taxis?" His eyes narrowed a little more with each question as he pondered the driver's response.

The cabbie sighed, pulling to a stop in front of the airport. "We're here kid, and let me just say that it's been surreal." He tapped the fare counter, and Zach paid and hauled his baggage out of the trunk of the cab.

"I should have you know, I'm not a kid. I'm 24 years of age, assistant forensic anthropologist at the Jeffersonian, and I'm currently working on 2 doctorates. Do you have any formal education? Because I know you probably don't want to be a taxi driver forever. You must get a lot of strange people in your cab."

The last part of his sentence was spoken to a cloud of exhaust as the driver peeled out of the airport as fast as he possibly could.

Zach shrugged and shouldered his carry-on backpack, dragging his suitcase behind him as he entered the airport. He navigated his way carefully through security, checking his baggage, and then walking towards the concourse.

He glanced at his watch, and picked up his pace ever so slightly. He wasn't concerned about missing the boarding call. He'd calculated the time it would take to reach the concourse going at a certain speed, and right now, he was right on schedule.

He arrived at the concourse with about 5 minutes to spare. He noticed Angela and Hodgins first, then Brennan and Booth. The 4 weren't sitting together, so he deduced that Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth weren't yet aware of the presence of the other two. Not wanting to announce himself either, he strode over to Hodgins and sat in the empty chair next to him.

Hodgins did a double take. "Zach?"

Angela turned away from observing Brennan and Booth at the sound of Jack's voice.

"Zach?" she repeated. "Why are you here?" She didn't mean to sound rude; she was just surprised to see him there.

"I, too, decided that it would be a good time for a vacation. I brought plenty of work to do while I'm there, so I can stay productive."

Hodgins gave him a weird look. "You said you're on vacation, but you brought work to do?"

"I don't like to waste my time being idle. I need to stay busy."

"Whatever, dude. Me, I'm going to forget all about science, and just relax with my woman." He tossed Angela a smile and gave her a peck on the cheek, not wanting to get any more intimate than that with Zach right there. If he did, he was worried the guy would pull out a memo pad and start taking notes.

Right on time, the voice came over the intercom that first class was boarding. Hodgins and Angela got up to board, as did Booth and Brennan. Zach remained seated, patiently waiting for coach. Hodgins looked back at him.

"Come on, Z-man!"

"I'm coach. I need to wait. Coach isn't boarding yet."

"I'll take care of it. Now come on! We're a team. We might as well all sit together."

Zach allowed himself a small grin, and rose to join them.

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"I'm sorry Bones, looks like we're not sitting next to each other." Booth said as they found their seats.

"It's ok. The last time we sat together, I couldn't get any work done because you snored so loudly when you fell asleep."

Booth's face screwed up as she said this. "I didn't snore. I've never snored in my life."

Brennan smirked. "People who snore always say that. They're not usually aware that they do, in fact, snore. Which, in your case, you should be thankful that you weren't able to hear yourself. It was deafening."

"Whatever, Bones. I do not snore." He sat down in his chair, and looked up at the other passengers coming down the aisle.

"Who invited you two?"

"_We_ are on a romantic vacation, thank you very much," Angela said with a grin as she and Hodgins found their seats. "Hey sweetie!" She gave a surprised Brennan a little hug before settling herself down.

"Angela. This is certainly unexpected."

"Well, I decided Jack and I could use a break, plus, what better place to get away from the cold of DC than Marathon?"

Brennan nodded her head, giving her a little grin. Angela leaned forward conspiratorially.

"I figured you'd forget to pack a bikini, but don't worry, I packed an extra one for you."

"As a matter of fact, I did remember to pack a bathing suit. I might try to get in a little time on the beach after I'm finished consulting."

"Atta girl!"

Booth counted the number of Jeffersonian employees on the flight. "Bones, Angela, Hodgins….next thing you know Zach'll be…" He trailed off as the person mentioned last came on board, seeming slightly out of place in first class.

Booth eyed the still empty seat next to him, and prayed to every saint he could think of, but it was no use. Zach sat next to him and looked at him nervously.

"Hello, Agent Booth. I just want to make you aware that I am not fond of flying. I will attempt to remain unobtrusive throughout the flight."

"I bet you will," Booth said, not convinced. It was looking to be a long flight.

**A/N: Hope you liked it! Please give me feedback. I love to hear from people, and it makes my day when I get those review alerts! **


	3. welcome to Marathon

**A/N: Well, here I am updating again!! Yes, I do have far too much time on my hands right now. Unfortunately, that won't last, but for now it's great ****cause**** I can update more often!! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 3:**** Welcome to Marathon**

After what felt like an eternity of hearing Zach talk about condyles, epicondyles, and spongy bone, Booth had had enough.

"Look, Zach, I don't care about spongebob bone ok? Just sit back, calm down, and be quiet, all right?"

"It's actually spongy bone, Agent Booth, and its properties are…"

Booth interrupted him. "Bones, hey Bones!"

Brennan looked up from the article she was reading. "What?"

"Switch seats with Zach please, would ya?"

"I'm sorry Booth. I'm comfortable, I'm in the middle of this article, and I saw you yawning not 15 minutes ago, which means you are going to fall asleep. There is no way I'm switching with Zach."

"I wasn't yawning because I'm tired Bones, I yawned because I was bored. Zach won't shut up about dialing and spongebob, and it's getting on my nerves."

Brennan shrugged her apology and turned back to her article. Booth looked through narrow eyes at Zach, who had opened his mouth to correct Booth again about the terms.

"Don't even think about it."

Zach's mouth closed and he looked around the plane, focusing on Angela and Hodgins, who were both asleep and leaning against one another. He couldn't talk to them, and Dr. Brennan was too far away for conversation. He jumped about a mile in his seat as the plane rocked with minor turbulence. He really did not like flying.

Another hour passed. Booth's loud snoring filled the cabin, and Brennan was having trouble concentrating on her typing. She noticed Hodgins was awake and caught his eye. He gestured at Booth.

"Is there anything we can gag him with until he wakes up?"

Brennan smirked. "I told him he snored. He didn't believe me."

"I wish I had a recording device. I bet they can hear him up in the cockpit." Hodgins put on his headphones and pressed them to his ears as hard as he could in an attempt to block out some of the sound. He wondered how Angela could remain asleep through the noise.

Zach, sitting next to Booth, was bearing the full brunt of the noise with one added misfortune. Booth's head was nestled on his shoulder, using him as a pillow. Zach sat, stiff as a board, afraid to make any movement that would wake the sleeping federal agent. He was afraid to even breathe. He had packed a pair of ear plugs in order to have quiet while he was working, but he was scared to reach for them. And, he had to use the bathroom. His eyes drifted to Booth, and he weighed his options. Clearly, he'd have to get up at some point.

Brennan glanced over at him and noted the predicament he was in. Zach caught her eye, and mouthed the words to her that he needed to get up.

"Just get up, Zach," she called out to him. "He won't bite." At least she hoped he wouldn't. Finally, Zach couldn't wait any longer and got up as quickly as he could. Booth's head slumped to the side, and he woke up slowly, rubbing his neck, and looking up at Zach, who was wiping the wet spot on his shoulder.

"Did I have my head on you?" he asked.

"Yes, Agent Booth, and you also appear to have drooled on me."

"Yea, sorry bout that." Booth cleared his throat. Zach headed off to the bathroom, and Hodgins spoke up.

"Man, am I glad you're awake! You snore loud enough to wake the dead!"

Booth glared at him. "Like I told Bones earlier, I do not snore."

"You do, and it is awful! You sounded like a dying hippo!"

Booth ignored the comments. He didn't snore. If he did, he'd know it, he was sure of that. Zach returned and sat down, avoiding Booth's eyes for the remainder of the flight.

When they arrived in Marathon, Booth called the authorities to let them know Dr. Brennan had arrived. When he got off the phone, he looked over at her.

"You, and by you, I mean we, and by we, I _don't_ mean them," he jerked a thumb back at Angela and Hodgins, who were right behind them. "are to report to the coroner's office tomorrow at 10 am. They're keeping the skull and the other bones they recovered there."

"All right, that'll give me the night to get settled in a hotel room. Did they give you directions to a hotel?" Booth nodded, and Brennan looked around behind them. "Where's Zach?"

"He's still back at baggage claim. He can't seem to be able to grab his suitcase off the conveyor belt," Hodgins supplied.

"For the love of…" Booth headed back to baggage claim, and sure enough, there was Zach, staring at the suitcases as they went past him, always seeming to miss his own. Booth went over, grabbed Zach's suitcase, handed it back to him, and went back to the group. Zach stood there a second or two before following.

"So, we'll get two rental cars, and just follow you guys to the hotel, all right?" Angela already had this planned out.

"All right," Brennan agreed. Booth shook his head furiously.

"Couldn't you guys find another hotel? Bones is here on business after all."

"You're not though. You gave up authority on this case so you could go," Angela pointed out.

Booth made a face, but knew she had him. "All right, follow us there, but get rooms on a different floor, ok?"

Angela thought for a moment. "Deal."

They went to go rent cars and Booth stared longingly at the Hummer H3.

"I don't think so Booth. We're on a budget here," Brennan said, pulling him away to a more sensible sedan.

They left in the sedan, which was old and in need of a tune-up, out on the highway towards the hotel, and Booth felt a pang of jealousy as Hodgins, Angela, and Zach passed them in a bright yellow Corvette convertible. Angela waved happily from the passenger seat as they flew by the sedan. Zach was cramped up in the back seat, unsuccessfully trying to keep his hair from blowing every which way.

"Do they have to rub it in like that?" Booth muttered.

"What was that?" Brennan asked. Before Booth could answer, her phone rang, and she picked it up. "Brennan."

"Hey sweetie! Could you get directions from Booth to the hotel? You guys are slower than snails!"

"Booth is jealous of the car you and Hodgins picked out. He may not divulge the directions," Brennan replied. Booth rolled his eyes, and grabbed the phone from Brennan.

"You guys were supposed to say behind us! I'm going the speed limit!" He sighed resignedly, and gave Angela the directions he'd been given over the phone in the airport. He closed the phone and tossed it back to Brennan.

"We could have at least gotten something a little newer, Bones," he complained.

"This was cheap, and it's perfectly sufficient."

They passed a fast food drive-thru and Booth pulled into the driveway.

"Why are we stopping here?"

"Because I'm hungry. You want anything?"

"Yes, I'd like some fries. Also, a small iced tea."

"Ok."

"Wait, do they have veggie burgers here?"

"Of course not, Bones. They have real food."

"Then just the fries and iced tea."

Booth ordered for them, and once they were on the road, he dug into the bag and stuffed a handful of fries in his mouth. Brennan just looked at him, aghast.

"Is this your last meal Booth?" she asked.

"I told you I was hungry."

"So that means you have to shove fries in your mouth by the handful? It's disgusting."

"No, it isn't. Don't tell me you've never done it."

"I haven't." As if to illustrate, Brennan removed a single fry out of the bag, and took a bite.

"Oh, come on Bones, be honest. How many fries do you usually eat at a time?"

"Two or three at a time, at most."

"No way."

"Yes. I don't feel the need to gorge myself with French fries. It's not as if they're going to vanish if you don't eat them all in 2 minutes."

Booth responded by shoveling in another handful of fries. Brennan looked away and pulled another of her own fries out of the bag.

When they arrived at the hotel, the other 3 were waiting in the lobby.

"They're practically full up. They have 3 rooms left on the 5th floor and that's it," Hodgins informed them. "We already got 'em so you can just drop me some cash whenever." He handed Brennan a key. Angela had one for her and Jack, and Zach had another.

"Thank you," Brennan said.

"We were just afraid that they'd be all full by the time you guys finally got here," Hodgins said with a big grin.

"We stopped to get something from a drive-thru. That's what took so long." Booth said, already on the defense.

"Oh, I was worried your car broke down on the highway somewhere or blew up or something." His eyes were twinkling merrily and Brennan knew he was just teasing. But Booth was clearly getting a bit worked up, so she turned him and steered him in the direction of the elevator, the rest following them.

Booth glared at her. "Budget, huh? Would a convertible been too much to ask for?"

"Yes," she replied simply.

They arrived on the 5th floor and found their rooms. Brennan put her key card in the door to unlock it when she felt a presence behind her. She turned to find Booth.

"What are you doing?"

"Waiting for you to open the door so we can get in our room," he said.

"Oh, no, I don't think so. You are sharing with Zach. He's 2 doors down."

"What? Zach? Come on, Bones, haven't I been through enough already?"

"You're sharing with Zach. You and I sharing is out of the question. I'll never get any sleep."

Angela, who had been listening to the exchange from next door, grinned mischievously and winked at Brennan. "You got that right."

Brennan sighed, and explained her statement. "He snores. If we were to share, he'd keep me up all night." Angela's wicked grin grew even wider, and she waggled her eyebrows up and down suggestively.

Brennan gave her a Look. "With his snoring, I mean. He'd keep me up all night with his snoring."

"Whatever you say sweetie! I'll see you guys in a bit. We're going to settle in." She grabbed Hodgins by the collar and dragged him into the room behind her.

"I don't snore Bones."

"Yes you do. And even if you didn't, us sharing would be highly inappropriate.

"It doesn't have to be! C'mon Bones, have mercy!"

Brennan unlocked her door and slipped in the room, shutting the door behind her.

Booth leaned his head forward until his forehead touched bare wood. It really wouldn't have been so bad for them to share. Just because he maybe sort of perhaps thought of her as maybe being more than a partner at times didn't mean that sharing a hotel room was necessarily inappropriate.

Giving up, he ambled 2 doors down to Zach's room, where the young man was having trouble with his key card.

"How about I keep track of this from now on, huh?" he said, as he held out his hand for the card. Zach was glad to relinquish it as it wasn't working for him anyway. Booth slid it in and tugged the door open. The two stood on the threshold, baggage next to them, and as Booth took in the horrifying scene before him, he began having doubts about insisting that he accompany Bones. There was only one full size bed in the room.

**A/N: ****Hehe****, I'm sorry but I like how this chap turned out. Let me know what you thought, or just say hi or tell me what's up with you, or how hot DB is. ****Anything.**** I just like hearing from people. This site is a cool way to make friends, and you can never have too many of those, so R&R!! Thank you!!!**


	4. sleeping arrangements

**A/N: Hey everyone! I just want to say thanks for the awesome comments! They make my day! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 4: ****sleeping arrangements**

"Ok, let's not panic," Booth said; trying to remain calm as he and Zach eyed the bed.

He ran back out into the hallway, and knocked on Angela and Hodgins' door.

"Is it important?" came Angela's voice, then a flurry of giggling.

"Do you guys have one bed or two?"

"One. Why?"

"Zach and I only have one too."

There was a short laugh from Hodgins, which was abruptly cut off as Angela smacked him with a pillow.

"Maybe Bren has two. Check with her."

Booth moved down to Brennan's room and knocked.

"Bones, do you have one bed or two?"

"One. Is there a problem?"

"Yes. A huge one. Zach and I only have one bed."

"Then you'll have to share."

"No way! There's gotta be another way." He went back to his and Zach's room and opened the door with the key card.

He took a deep breath and thought for a moment. "I'm going to call the front desk and see if they have a cot for you or something."

"Why can't I have the bed?" Zach asked.

"Because you can't. You wanna fight for it? Cause if you do, I guarantee you won't win."

Zach pondered this and then said, "That depends on how we fight. If we were to play Scrabble, for example, the bed would be mine. On the other hand, if it was some kind of physical combat, you're right, I wouldn't win."

"Well, I don't see a Scrabble board around here, do you?"

Zach shook his head, and Booth grabbed the phone to call the front desk. He argued with the clerk for a few minutes, and then hung up with a sigh.

"They're out."

"So that means we have to share."

"Oh, no! No way in hell we're sharing…don't look at me like that!" The kid was giving him some sort of puppy dog face.

"Like what, Agent Booth? This is how I always look." Zach seemed genuinely confused.

"All right, look, you stay on your side of the bed, I'll stay on mine, and everything will be peaches and cream, ok?"

"I like peaches."

Booth groaned to himself, and hauled his suitcase inside the room, planting it on one side of the bed. Zach followed suit with the other side.

"I call the bathroom first," Booth called, rushing inside before Zach knew what was going on.

He took a long hot shower, and when he came out, he found Zach in his pajamas, on his side of the bed, reading a thick volume with a title that Booth didn't understand.

"You gonna shower?"

"I always shower in the morning. When I take a bath I take them in the evening."

"Whatever. Just remember, your side," he pointed to the side of the bed Zach was lying on. "My side." He pointed at his side.

"Are you going to sleep now, Agent Booth?" He didn't even look up from his book.

"Yea, might as well."

"All right. Good night." Zach reached down into his backpack and pulled out his ear plugs, which he stuck in his ears, then settled back to continue reading.

Booth sighed. "Why does everyone think I snore? This is all Bones' doing. I never would have pegged her as a gossip." He was, of course, talking to himself, as Zach was zoned out. He crawled into bed, inching over as far as he could in order to put as much space as possible between himself and Zach.

Then he shut his eyes and pretended that Zach wasn't on the other side of the bed.

Zach continued to read until his eyelids grew heavy. Time for bed. He shut the book and replaced it in his suitcase. The ear plugs were effective, but not completely. He could still hear Booth's snoring. There was nothing else he could do, though. He leaned over and shut off the bedside lamp. Hopefully, he could get enough sleep. If he slept in too late the next morning, he'd miss out on valuable work time. He rolled over away from Booth, and closed his eyes.

Booth woke in the middle of the night to a feeling of warmth beside him. He first noted the time on the bedside clock. 1 am. He then turned his head and noted the arm slung around his middle. This observation was followed by the realization that Zach was spooned up against him. The kid had rolled over in his sleep.

Booth extricated himself from Zach and got out of bed. This was ridiculous. He couldn't get back to sleep now. Zach hadn't woken up. He was still curled up, his hand clutching something. Curious, Booth leaned in for a closer look. It was a small stuffed puppy. It was clearly old and well worn, most likely a beloved childhood toy. Booth stifled a chuckle, and thought about a solution to the problem.

He could always sleep in the bathtub…or better yet, make Zach sleep in the bathtub. He threw this idea out, but couldn't think of anything else that didn't involve one of them sleeping someplace uncomfortable. Not that he necessarily cared if Zach was uncomfortable. But that stupid pouty face he'd made was not something Booth wanted to see again.

Minutes later, he found himself in front of Brennan's door. He knocked softly at first, and then louder.

"Booth? What is it? Did the police call about the bones?"

She opened her door a crack, and Booth sheepishly noted the tired look in her eyes.

"Not exactly. I really need to get away from Zach. Apparently, he's a cuddler."

Brennan smirked at the accompanying mental picture his statement created.

"No, Booth. We've been over this. I'm sorry it's not working with you and Zach sharing, but you can't stay here. I need my sleep, and it's just not appropriate."

"I'm desperate here Bones, come on. You won't even know I'm there."

Brennan scoffed at that. "For the last time, Booth, no….don't look at me like that."

"Like what?"

"You're giving me that pouty puppy face. It's not going to work."

"Yes it will." Booth put the pouty look on pause a moment to flash her a smile.

"Booth…" Brennan knew she was fighting a losing battle. He wasn't going to leave her alone until she invited him in.

"Fine." She stepped aside, and Booth walked triumphantly into her room.

"This will be your side. Stay on your side. Your side." She pointed. "My side." She pointed at the other side of the bed.

"Got it Bones. You won't regret this."

"I'm already starting to. I should have packed ear plugs like Zach."

"I do not snore!"

"Yes, you do."

"No I don't. Good night Bones."

"Good night Booth, and you do." She shut off the bedside lamp and they lay there in the dark, each on their own side, careful not to cross the invisible line that lay down the middle of the bed.

After a moment of silence, Booth said, "No, I don't." Then he rolled over, signaling that he'd gotten the last word in and if Brennan said anything, she'd be talking to a brick wall, so to speak.

**A/N: Hope you liked it!! Drop me a review if you feel so inclined. I appreciate them all. Thank you!!!**


	5. the morning after

**A/N: Hello! Thanks to those who read and those who reviewed! It always brings a smile to my face. I'****m going to be putting in a bit of **** (I feel) much needed fluff soon, so all you fluffy people, just hang in there! It's coming! Enjoy!!**

**Chapter 5: ****the morning after**

Looking back on that first night, Booth couldn't recall when the invisible line down the middle of the bed disintegrated. All he knew was that he woke up at 5 am with Brennan's arms around him and his around her. It would have looked like an innocent "guy" hug, except that they were lying in bed, and Brennan was, in fact, a woman. He also noted that her leg was wrapped around his.

Their faces were inches apart, and Booth decided that it was time to get up; if he could disentangle himself from her, of course. Not that it wasn't a wonderful feeling, curled up next to her, holding her. It was.

He was just concerned for his well being if she were to wake up and find them in this position. She had, after all, protested them sharing from the beginning. This would only make her regret it, and convince her not to share with him again, which would, in turn, stick him with Zach.

He looked at the content expression on her face and wondered what she was dreaming about. Probably the bones she was due to examine later that morning, or something equally strange.

His eyes traveled to the side of her head, and he noted the ear plugs in her ears. She had obviously gotten up at some point during the night and gotten them from Zach. Maybe he _did _snore. He dismissed the thought immediately. No way. He couldn't remember her leaving though. He must have really been out.

He carefully extricated himself from his partner and tiptoed to the door, opening it and closing it behind him as quietly as possible. He backed away from it slowly, past Angela and Hodgins' door and collided with someone. He whirled around and yelled in surprise at the same time the other person let out a high pitched squeal, quickly clamping her hand over her mouth.

"Angela?!" Booth asked when he had recovered, staring at the artist, who was clad in a silk robe and carrying a bucket of ice. "What the hell is that slop on your face?"

"It's a facial beauty mask," Angela said defensively, her fingers flying up to the green mask on her face. "But that's not important. What's important is that, unless I'm dreaming, I just saw you coming out of Bren's room!" Her voice rose in pitch during the sentence, and she did a giddy little jump in the middle of the hallway, awaiting Booth's confirmation. He couldn't deny it.

"I couldn't stand Zach anymore. Bones took pity on me, and let me sleep in her room, that's it."

Angela's face fell, then brightened again. "But you were in the same bed?"

"Well, yea."

The squeal repeated itself, and Booth winced.

Angela shooed him away from the front of her door, and disappeared into her room with the ice, her smile never losing its intensity. Booth continued to his own room, opened it, and found the room empty.

"Zach?"

The bathroom door opened a crack. "I'm almost finished in here, Agent Booth. I was just showering."

"You're up already?"

"Yes, I got in a bit of early morning reading. As soon as everyone leaves for the day, I'm confident that I can get a lot done."

"Weirdo," Booth muttered under his breath. The kid wasn't even going to leave the hotel.

He got dressed for the day, and when Zach came out, he asked, "You want to go down and grab breakfast?"

"I packed some granola bars. But, thank you."

"O…k." He sat on the bed, which was immaculately made.

"Why did you make the bed?

"I can't stand an unmade bed. There's no reason not to make it."

"Yes, there is. The housekeeping people come by during the day, and do all that."

"I can make my own bed."

"You're on _vacation_!" Frustrated, Booth got up, unmade the bed, and left the room.

Brennan rolled over, and threw her arm out across the bed. She opened her eyes when it came in contact with cold sheets rather than Booth, as she had expected. When had he left? She couldn't recall, but part of her wished that he hadn't.

As much as she was against the idea of them sharing, it had been nice to have another warm body in bed with her. It was comforting on some level, and she really wouldn't have minded if she'd woken up to find him still asleep next to her. She blew a strand of hair out of her face, and got up to shower before breakfast.

When she came out, she heard a knock on her door. Booth. She answered, awake, dressed, and ready to go.

"Where'd you go? I thought you didn't want to sleep in your room."

"I woke up a bit early, and didn't want to wake you."

"Oh. Well, you did." He hadn't really, but rather, it had been her realization that he had gone that had awoken her.

"Sorry." She must have woken up when he'd gotten out of the bed. "You wanna grab some breakfast?"

"Sure." They headed down to the ground floor together.

Angela entered her room after her conversation with Booth, thrilled that finally, there was a chance of something happening between them. Sure, the whole situation was innocent enough, but Angela's mind had a way of twisting those innocent little things to her advantage. She put the ice bucket on the table, and turned to Jack, who had turned on the news.

"Booth and Bren spent the night together!"

"What?" Jack looked away from the TV and looked at Angela incredulously.

"Well, they didn't have sex, but they did share the bed."

"Only because Booth couldn't deal with Zach. It's not a big deal."

"Yes, it is!"

"How?"

"I'm not sure yet. But it is. And I have plans for them tonight, believe you me."

"Well, you may have plans for them tonight, but I have plans for us today. We're going scuba diving!"

"Really? That sounds fun!" She leaned over and kissed him.

"I'm gonna invite Zach too. He needs to get out."

Angela nodded. She didn't mind having Zach with them, just as long as he didn't stare when they got all lovey-dovey. He had a habit of doing that.

Hodgins got out of bed and dressed, then went down the hallway to Zach's room. He knocked.

"Zach?"

The door opened and Zach stood there, holding his book open, not wanting to lose his place.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go scuba diving with Ange and me today."

"I can't swim. I was going to stay here and read."

"Well, you can come out on the boat at least."

"No, thank you." He started to shut the door, but Hodgins put a foot in front of the door to keep it from closing.

"Let me rephrase. It wasn't really a choice. You're coming with us, you're going out on the boat, you're going to enjoy yourself, and maybe even get a tan, ok?" He gave Zach a piercing gaze, accompanied by a smile.

Zach nodded his head, his eyes wide. "All right, yes, that sounds good. Just let me grab a few things, and I'll be ready when you are."

"Great! See you in a few." He went back next door to his and Angela's room, pleased with himself.

**A/N: ****So, did ya like it? I keep getting ideas for this, so I hope the updates are timely enough for everyone. Please read and review!!! I love that so many are reading, at least according to my hits statistic, but I need more input. What kind of a direction do you want this to take, etc? ****Thank you!!**


	6. sunburns and plots

**A/N: Ok, here we go with chap 6. Not sure if many people are still reading, but please enjoy! Thanks to all those who have been reading!**

**Chapter 6: **

Booth and Brennan arrived at the coroner's office, and met with the authorities handling the case. Two cops were heading the investigation, Officer Crosby and Officer Wilson.

Brennan gloved up and began her examination of the remains.

"Male, 30-35 years of age…" she began. Booth tuned her out and turned to the cops.

"Maybe we should speak to the people who found the bones," he suggested.

"Already done, Agent Booth." Officer Wilson looked annoyed, narrowing her eyes at his immediate attempt to get involved.

"How about checking around the area where they were found? Something could have…"

Officer Crosby cut him off. "Already done Agent Booth. We do know how to do our job." He gestured out into the hallway. Booth rolled his eyes and went into the hallway, followed by the officer.

"I appreciate your enthusiasm for this investigation, Agent Booth, but might I remind you that you're only here at your own insistence and because you agreed to leave the investigation to us."

Booth scowled at the officer, but nodded imperceptibly, and went back into the room.

"Booth, could you call Zach and see if he can come assist please?"

"Sure, sure." Booth dialed the hotel and got transferred to their room. No one picked up, so he dialed Angela's cell.

She picked up. "Hello?"

"Angela, is Zach near you? Bones wants to know if he can come down here and assist. Could you bring him over?"

"No can do. Jack's taking me scuba diving. Zach's coming with us. Jack's making him have fun."

Booth shook his head at the thought of someone _making_ someone else have fun. "All right, Angela. I'm sure she'll be fine without him."

"I'm sure she will too. Hey, are you and Bren gonna share that bed again tonight? Because…" 

"What's that Angela? I can't hear you, you're breaking up!" He shut his phone and put it back in his pocket, ignoring it as it began to ring again immediately.

"Sorry, Bones, you're on your own. Zach's being forced to have a good time."

He glanced at the two officers. "Maybe I could just…" Both eyed him, daring him to finish the sentence. He heaved a big sigh, and glared at them both.

"Maybe I could just head back to the hotel and take a nap until you're done," he said through clenched teeth.

"That's fine, Booth. I'll call when I'm done." She didn't even look up from the remains.

Booth left, a permanent scowl etched on his face. He slammed the door as hard as he could, but was disappointed when it didn't make as much of a noise as he had wanted it to. To make up for this, he stomped down the hallway to the exit as loudly as he could. 

"Is he gonna be ok?" Crosby asked after Booth had left.

Brennan looked up from the bones. "He'll be fine. He's just used to being in charge of investigations." She turned back to her work.

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Angela, Hodgins, and Zach were out on the boat, looking down into the clear water.

"I cannot believe you brought that stupid book with you! You can't do work while you're on vacation!" Hodgins exclaimed to Zach.

"As I said, I cannot swim; therefore, I will not be scuba diving with you. I need something to keep myself occupied."

"Look around you! It's beautiful out here! Appreciate it!" Hodgins paused a moment, thinking. Mind made up, he plucked the book from Zach's grasp, and in one swift movement, threw it.

Zach watched as his book flew through the air, and landed, with a plop, in the water below them. He crossed the deck and looked out at the spot where the book had hit. 

As Hodgins observed with obvious amusement, Zach's hand curled into a fist for about a second, and then relaxed again.

Hodgins walked over and stood next to him. "Were you…_angry_?"

"No, I'm perfectly fine."

"You were angry! I saw you make a fist! Were you gonna hit me?" Hodgins was almost laughing.

"No, that would be juvenile and accomplish nothing. Your equipment's over there. Go get ready." 

Hodgins eyed him a minute, just in case a reaction to the abrupt loss of his book was still forthcoming. When he didn't say anything else, Hodgins walked over to where Angela was already getting ready.

When the two were suited up, they joined Zach, where he still perched, looking over the water.

"Sorry about your book, Zach," Angela sympathized. "Jack's being a bully." She punched him on the shoulder.

"Hey, I just wanted him to loosen up!"

"I'll be fine. Tell me about what you see down there."

"No problem." Angela went overboard, already thinking about the inspiration the environment had to offer her.

Hodgins paused at the edge, and looked at Zach. He was starting to feel a little guilty about throwing the book into the sea. Volumes that thick were not cheap.

"Zach, I'm sorry, man. I'll replace it when we get back." Zach appeared to brighten a bit at this, and Hodgins sighed in relief. 

"So, are we cool?" he asked.

"We will be in approximately 6.8 seconds."

Hodgins' face took on a look of confusion. "What happens in…" He was cut off as Zach applied a small amount of pressure to his chest, causing Hodgins to make an undignified fall into the sea below. He surfaced, sputtering, and glared up at the boat. Zach was looking down at him, a satisfied smirk on his face.

"Come down here, and smirk at me to my face!" Hodgins yelled up at him in challenge.

Zach's face looked worried for a second, then vanished. 

"Yea, that's what I thought!" He turned away from the boat, and dove under the surface to find Angela. 

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Not having the key to Brennan's room, Booth went to into the room he was supposed to share with Zach. Since he knew Zach was with Hodgins and Angela, he figured he'd be safe.

He opened the door, and found the room immaculate, the bed had even been remade after he'd messed it up that morning. Without hesitation, Booth unmade it again, kicked off his shoes, leaving them wherever they landed, and flopped in the bed for a nap. 

He was woken up by his phone playing 'Kokomo' by the Beach Boys. He'd put it in as his ringtone especially for this trip. 

He picked it up, listened to Brennan tell him she was finished, and he could come get her. 

"I'll be right there, Bones." He shut his phone, and headed out to pick up his partner. He walked to the hotel parking lot, groaning aloud at the sight of the beat up old sedan amongst all the little sports cars. He should have insisted on something better. He got behind the wheel, and pulled out. 

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Angela and Hodgins surfaced after their exploration underwater, and got back onboard the boat. Hodgins held back a fit of laughter when he saw Zach. Every inch of him not covered by clothing was sunburned.

"I'm in pain," was all he said.

"Oh, sweetie!" Angela hurried to find some lotion to put on the burns. She came back and handed him the bottle. "Didn't you have any sunscreen?"

"No."

"You need sunscreen! I had some. You should have asked!" 

When they got back to shore, they walked to the Corvette, Zach holding his burnt arms out from the rest of his body.

"You sit in front, Zach. That way you'll have more room," Angela offered, climbing in the back.

"Thank you Angela." Zach offered her a small smile and sat gingerly in the passenger side.

When they arrived back at the hotel, Zach hung out in Angela and Hodgins' room until Booth came back with the key.

"You know, you can get an extra key to your room," Hodgins said.

"I know. But I can never get it to open anyhow, so my having a key would be pointless."

Hodgins shrugged his shoulders, and said, "So Ange, what's on the agenda for tonight?"

Angela, who was on the phone, shushed him and continued a subdued conversation with whoever was on the other end. When she hung up, she smiled, a combination of both contentment and wickedness.

Hodgins grinned when he saw it. "I know that look. You're plotting, aren't you?"

"Not plott_ing_, plott_ed_. I told you I had plans for Booth and Bren tonight."

"Say no more. What are _we_ gonna do?"

"_We_ are going to have a romantic dinner, as long as we're finished by 8," she said, crossing the room and putting her arms around him.

"Gotcha. I like the sound of that." He kissed her lightly, fully aware of Zach's presence and his eyes on them as always. "You gonna be ok Z-man?" He felt a little bad that Zach was usually by himself. He didn't mind having him along when they had activities during the day, but he and Angela needed some alone time.

"I'll be fine. I can get room service and then I have some work I can get done. Of course, most of my belongings are still in my room, but most likely Agent Booth will return soon."

"All right, looks like we're clear to go, just as soon as I make one more call." Angela opened her phone and dialed Brennan's number.

"Hey, sweetie. Where are you?" She listened to Brennan's reply, then said, "Ok, I have dinner reservations for all of us at the restaurant downstairs at 8, ok? Great, see ya then!" She hung up, the wicked smile returning.

"Nice one!" Hodgins nodded approvingly.

"A classic." Angel grabbed his hand and pulled him to the door, waving to Zach as they left.

**A/N: There you have it! Hope you liked it. Let me know if you did! Thank you!**


	7. stuck in traffic

**A/N: Hey all!! Many thanks to those who read and those who reviewed! I love hearing what you think!! Enjoy!!**

**Chapter 7: stuck in traffic**

Brennan hung up from Angela and turned to Booth. 

"Angela said she made us all reservations at the restaurant downstairs. Eight o'clock."

Booth glanced at the clock on the car radio.

"We still have an hour or so then."

"Good, I need to clean up and relax a bit." She settled further into her seat, looking out the window, and he wondered if she could feel the tension in the car, as he did.

"Bones?"

"Yes?"

"I've been noticing that you've been…distant towards me on this trip. Why? Did I do something to make you angry?"

"No, if you had, rest assured you'd know about it. I didn't realize I was acting any differently towards you. I apologize."

But she knew she had. She didn't want to say why. The reason she had been distant was because lately, for reasons unknown to her scientific mind, she had been seeing him in a different light. A decidedly non-platonic light. She didn't know how to react to the feelings, so in the end, she had made up her mind to keep it to herself, and to attempt to suppress the thoughts as they came, in the hope that, eventually, they would vanish altogether. 

Thus far, they hadn't. She had worried that he might pick up on her feelings somehow. He was, after all, good at reading people. She had told herself to just act like everything was normal, as 

always, but apparently she had overcompensated and had been distant, which he, of course, _had _picked up on. 

"Ok, just let me know if something's wrong, all right?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm fine Booth; nothing is wrong. I had a productive day."

"Find out anything interesting?" He was suddenly alert, eager for information on the case.

"The information I got from the remains matched someone in their missing person files. His name was Adrian Riker. They're going to confirm it with dental records, and that's really all I know. They kind of shooed me out after I made the ID."

Booth scowled. "Probably didn't want you blabbing any information to me. These people are way too overprotective with this case. You'd think they'd welcome the help."

"Well, you did give your word that you'd stay out of it. And I'm not an officer. I did my job, and that was all they needed me to do." She shrugged. "But, they did tell me they'd call when they confirmed the identity and when they made an arrest."

"Better than nothing, I guess."

They arrived at the hotel. Booth parked the sedan and glanced around the parking lot, noting that the yellow Corvette wasn't in the lot.

"Where are they?"

"I don't know, but they still have some time until the reservation. They're probably still out on the water or something." Brennan said as she climbed out. She headed for the entrance, Booth next to her. She was tempted to inch just a little further away from him, but remembered their conversation earlier and thought against it. 

She brushed against him as they walked, feeling little surges of electricity whenever they made contact. When had that started happening? Or was it always there, and she was now aware of it because of her feelings and thoughts of late?

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Angela and Hodgins sat at a small table in the back corner of the restaurant, where Angela was certain they wouldn't by seen by anyone passing by.

"I hate all this hiding from Brennan and Booth. It's so underhanded," Hodgins said between sips of wine.

"You'll get used to it. I told Zach to stay put in our room until we come back tonight. Otherwise, his presence will ruin everything." She smiled at him and took his hand.

"You're devious, you know that?"

"And proud of it! If this works, we can double date!" She sounded giddy at the idea.

"Yea, I suppose that would all right. I don't think Booth likes me much though."

"Aww, Jack, sure he does. He just doesn't express himself well that way. He likes you and hides it behind a mask of hostility and intolerance." She took a sip of her wine and a bite of her food.

"If you say so."

"I do say so. Now, what are we doing tomorrow? I know you have something planned."

"Well, I was thinking sky diving, but no way Zach would go for that. So, I thought something a little tamer; hang gliding."

"Baby, Zach hates flying."

"This isn't flying though; it's _gliding_."

"Somehow, I don't think he'll see the difference."

Hodgins shrugged. "Don't tell him. I wanna surprise him, get him too far along to back out. He _will_ have a good time on this trip; I don't care if I have to kill him."

"Hopefully, it won't come to that…they just came in!" She gestured with her head in the direction of the front doors. Booth and Brennan had entered and Angela noted happily that they were walking closely together, and his hand was at the small of her back, as always.

"All systems go!" she squealed happily. "You finished, Jack?"

"Yea, what are we doing now?"

"Let's just relax on the beach for awhile. We can't come back to the hotel until 8."

"But I thought we weren't joining them?"

"We're not. But I wanna see what happens."

Jack nodded and followed her out the main doors, around to the back of the hotel, and a block away to where she'd told him to park the car, out of sight.

Once they were on the road and headed to the beach, she pulled out her phone and dialed Brennan's number.

"Hey, Sweetie, it's me. Listen, we're about 2 hours away and we're stuck in traffic. I don't think we're going to make it in time for dinner. I'm so sorry! But, look, I don't want the reservation to go to waste, so I want you to promise me you'll use it, ok? Good, if we make it, we'll join you. Hopefully, we'll see you soon! Bye!" 

She closed her phone, grinning devilishly. "It's all good."

"You're crazy," Jack said, shaking his head, a grin on his face. "But what if she just eats alone, without Booth?"

"She won't."

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Brennan hung up the phone. She was in her room; Booth was in the room he and Zach were sharing. Well, supposed to be sharing. She called him up. She would keep her promise to Angela about the reservation, but she didn't want to eat alone.

"Booth." She angrily felt her heart skip a beat at his voice. What was wrong with her today? Had their conversation in the car made her more aware of her feelings? Was she losing control over them? She hoped not. 

"Hey, it's me. Angela called. They're stuck in traffic and won't make it in for dinner. She wants me to keep the reservation. I don't want to eat alone. Do you want to join me?" 

She found, to her intense frustration, that she was nervous about asking. Why, she had no idea. It was Booth. How many times had they shared meals before? Hundreds? Thousands? There was no reason for her to be nervous. She shrugged off the feeling as ridiculous and completely irrational, but couldn't help smiling when he agreed to join her. 

She closed her phone, and looked through her suitcase for dinner clothes. She felt like a teenager, asking her crush for a date. She irritated herself even more when she found herself comparing two outfits, wondering which one he'd like best. She chided herself immediately. What had happened to her usual logical, rational self? It seemed to have gone out the window at some 

point, leaving behind some irrational, fluttery bimbo she didn't know, and she wasn't sure where to go to look for her normal self and bring it back. 

She dressed and reminded herself that they were partners, good friends at best, nothing more. This was no different than any of the dinners they had shared before. Except, this one was in the Florida Keys…and from what she'd seen of the restaurant, it was meant to be a romantic one, with a house band and an outside dance floor. 

There was a knock on her door. 

"Bones? You ready? It's almost 8."

She wanted to kick herself at the butterflies she felt in her stomach. She mentally chased them away; the fluttering that had begun at the sound of his voice ceasing as she took a deep breath and opened the door. 

**A/N: I hope you liked this chap. Next will be the dinner chapter. I would have kept going but this was getting a little longer than I like my chaps to be, so I stopped. It's sort of a cliffie, I know, and I'm sorry. **


	8. dinner

**A/N: Nothing to say except enjoy!!**

**Chapter 8: Dinner**

After opening the door, she found herself not saying anything to the man on the other side, just looking at him like an idiot. He was dressed in a suit, the same style and cut she'd seen on him nearly every day since she'd met him. It was this fact that made her behavior so strange to her.

He didn't look any different than he did on any other day, yet, she thought, feeling the flush rise to her cheeks, she didn't think he'd ever looked better than he did right then.

"Bones?" He was waving his hand in front of her face, and she snapped out of it, internally berating herself.

"I'm ready; let's go." She stepped out of her room, and shut the door behind her, taking off for the elevator, Booth following a couple steps behind. She could feel his eyes on her as she moved, and it didn't make her feel uncomfortable like she would have expected it to. She didn't like being checked out; when guys were stupid enough to do it, not thinking she was aware it was happening. But, somehow, it felt different when he did it.

They stepped in the elevator, and Brennan pushed the appropriate button.

"Bones?" The sound of his voice made her jump ever so slightly and she hoped he hadn't noticed. The look that came over his face briefly told her that he had.

"You all right? You seem a bit…jumpy, literally."

"I'm fine. I was thinking and you startled me is all. What were you going to say before?"

She heard him swallow before answering. "Just that you look nice. Good, even great. Yea, great. You look great, Bones." He cleared his throat, and she marveled at the fact that he seemed nervous. Not like him at all. Was he perhaps having thoughts along the same lines as hers?

She felt the smile appear on her face before she could stop it. She was about to reply when the elevator opened, and they stepped out.

Feeling ridiculous, she tugged on his sleeve. He looked over at her.

"You look great too, which I guess is implying you look great every day since you wear stuff like that all the time." This was a mess. She was regressing to Tempe Brennan, age 14, at the homecoming dance. She needed to get it together.

"Thanks Bones," he said, and she could have sworn she caught a blush on his cheeks.

They walked through the entrance to the restaurant. The doors to the dance floor were open to the night sky, stars twinkling, and soft music and singing spilled into the restaurant. They were shown to the table Angela had reserved. She had thought enough to have it reserved in her name and to reserve a table large enough for the 5 of them, making her little ruse all the more believable.

Brennan chose a chair near one end of the table, and Booth sat down next to her. They perused the menus, trying to decide what to order.

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Angela looked out from behind the large potted plant on the outer edge of the dance floor. She couldn't see them very well, making it hard to interpret any facial expressions and body language. She looked over at Hodgins, who was yawning next to her.

"Jack, do you still have those binoculars you took out on the boat today?"

"Yea, they're right here," he gestured to them, hanging from a cord around his neck. Angela took them, still around his neck, and put them up to her eyes, pulling Hodgins along with her.

"Nothing's happening. They're just looking at menus." She gasped suddenly. "Bren just looked up and stared at him! This is too cute! I can see her blushing from here!"

"Maybe she's just talking to him."

"No, her lips aren't moving."

"What's he doing?"

"Being oblivious, as always."

"Maybe you're reading too much into this."

"Nope. I'm an artist. I know all about facial expressions and body language, and she's nervous as hell around him."

"Why? She's never been like that before."

"Maybe she's had a revelation. She's finally realized she has feelings for him!" She lowered the binoculars for a moment and gave Jack a kiss on the lips. "Thank you for staying here with me. I know all this matchmaking stuff bores you."

He shrugged, taking her hand. "It's not so bad. Feels sort of like Mission: Impossible or something, besides, I just like being with you. I don't care what we do."

She smiled. "I resent the Mission: Impossible comment, but you're sweet to say the rest." She brought the binoculars back up to her eyes, sharing her observations with Hodgins as she saw them.

"He's fidgeting a lot. He's nervous too. Oh, she just bumped his foot with hers! She wants contact, but she doesn't want it to seem intentional." She continued on this train, taking a break when their food came, and settling herself against the back of the plant.

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When her plate of food arrived, Brennan welcomed the distraction. They had made small talk, and she had tried to stay off the topic of the case because every time she brought it up, Booth looked annoyed. She knew it didn't have anything to do with her. He was just frustrated by his lack of involvement.

She busied herself eating, glancing up at him every once in a while. She had bumped his foot earlier, apologizing quickly to make it seem accidental, but in reality, she had foolishly wanted to see if the earlier electricity she'd felt between them had dissipated. It hadn't.

What did it all mean? Having admitted her feelings to herself, what was she supposed to do now? Tell him? Jump him? What? She knew what she'd do with any other man she had an interest in, but Booth wasn't any other man; he was different.

She needed to talk to Angela. Angela always knew these things. Except, knowing Angela, she'd read too much into it, and drag her off to some bridal shop to pick out dresses or something. She sighed quietly, and shoved the thoughts to the back of her head for later, concentrating on her food and wine.

Finished, she looked up, feeling his gaze on her, and sure enough, he was staring.

She decided to call him on it. "What?"

"Well, for starters, you have some sauce, right here." He touched the corner of his mouth to illustrate the location, and when she didn't get it with her napkin, he lifted his own and gently wiped her mouth, his finger brushing her lips.

He pulled back suddenly, eyes narrowed as he heard, or thought he heard, a sound coming from through the doors to the dance floor, shrill enough to be heard over the band.

"Did you hear something?" he asked her.

Brennan shook her head, still reeling slightly from his touch. She stood up, a bit shakily, much to her surprise and consternation.

"Excuse me a second, I'll be right back." She headed in the direction of the bathroom to splash some water on her face. Hopefully, it would bring her back to her senses.

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Angela let out a squeak when she noticed Booth lean over to wipe Brennan's mouth. As soon as the sound came out, she felt Jack's hand clamp over her mouth.

"You're gonna get yourself caught," he cautioned her.

"They can't see us here; we won't get caught." She noted Brennan standing, her quivering body visible to Angela through the high powered binoculars. She watched her friend head from the table.

"Where's she going? She'd better come back," she said worriedly. She kept watching Booth, taking interest when he put his head down in his hands, shaking it back and forth.

"He's lost. He has absolutely no idea what to do about her. He's so into her, but he doesn't want to do anything to drive her away, which I don't think he has to worry about."

"Thanks for the narration. I like being informed. But, you're just talking conjecture, right? You have no way of knowing if anything you're saying is correct."

"I'm right on! I always am. I know Bren and I know Booth. They want each other, but Bren's afraid of letting anyone in, and Booth's worried about their professional life and partnership. But I intend to get them past that." She nodded primly, and focused the binoculars as she noticed Brennan returning.

"Almost time for phase two," she said with a grin.

"What's phase two?"

"Phase two is getting the band to play the song I have picked out for them to dance to."

"How do you know they'll dance?"

"Booth will ask her. I know."

Jack was curious. "What do you want them to play?"

"You wouldn't know it."

"Hey, I like music. Try me."

"It's a song from The Little Mermaid."

"The Disney movie?"

"Yep."

"Never saw it."

"I told you. It's a girly movie."

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Brennan came back from the bathroom, feeling a little better, and pushing a damp strand of hair behind her ear. She walked back to the table confidently, feeling that the nervous teenager had finally been banished, leaving behind her normal self.

At least she felt that way until she saw him. He noticed her return, and his smile lit up his face, touching his eyes, and setting them off in a vibrant twinkle of life that left her feeling powerless in a way she was unfamiliar with. She collapsed in her chair, noting angrily that her breathing was heavier than it had been even a second ago.

"Welcome back Bones," He was still smiling at her, damn him. How was she supposed to talk coherently and intelligently with him looking at her like that? She scolded herself again, mentally kicking the flighty, teenaged persona that was taking over her mind.

"Hey, Bones?"

"Yea?"

"You finished?"

"Yea, I'm done." She pushed her plate away from her for extra emphasis.

He reached around his head with his hand and rubbed the back of his neck.

"You wanna dance?"

**A/N: Yes, I cut it off here, but it was getting too long. The good news is, some of the end of this chapter is now the beginning of chapter 9, which means it's already started. I'm rambling, but, in short, it means that the next chap will be up soon! I hope you liked this one! I like it myself, but I'm a huge fan of fluff. **


	9. Angela versus god

**A/N: Since I was mean and cut it off, I decided I'd better post ASAP, so here it is! Enjoy!!**

**Chapter 9: Angela versus god**

It took a moment for the question to register with her. "Yes, I'd like that." It came out quietly, and a little shaky. She began mentally punching the bimbo Temperance in her mind relentlessly, hoping to render her unconscious before she made a huge fool out of herself or did something she would regret.

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Angela clapped her hands when she saw Booth rubbing his neck.

"He's gonna ask her! That's my cue for phase two." She jumped up and raced to the band, having a brief conversation with the members. Jack watched her gesturing and speaking words he couldn't quite make out. The band nodded, and Angela rushed back to the plant, concealing herself once more behind its huge pot and many leaves.

"They're gonna do it after one more song!" She said happily, pleased that they had been familiar with the song.

She watched through the binoculars in anticipation as Brennan gave her answer, knowing full well that her best friend would say yes. Everything was going perfectly. She watched as Booth stood from the table, walked over to Brennan's side and held out his hand to her.

"Aww, he's such a gentleman. I hope Bren appreciates it. You should be taking notes Jack." She elbowed him slightly in the ribs.

"Ow! Hey, I'm a gentleman!"

"You make fart noises with your armpit at dinner." Angela rolled her eyes.

"Cause it makes you laugh!"

She had him there. She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "It does make me laugh."

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Brennan looked up at Booth and his outstretched hand. "I can get up myself, you know."

His shoulders slumped slightly. "Humor me Bones, please."

She looked from his hand to him, his eyes silently pleading with her that he wanted to do this a certain way and would she just go along with it for once, without further comment.

The bimbo Temperance was beginning to fight back in Brennan's mind. And she let it happen. She let a small smile cross her face and she took Booth's hand and allowed him to gently pull her 

up from the table. He led her through the doors to the open-air dance floor, the stars twinkling above them in the dark sky.

There was a soft piece playing, the man in front of the microphone softly singing in Spanish. It was a beautiful song, and Brennan found herself wishing they'd made it out in time for the entire song.

They stood in front of each other, neither moving. Booth's confidence appeared to have melted away. He was just looking at her, the soft breeze blowing her hair.

"Booth?"

He appeared to snap out of his trance. "What?"

"I know we've danced before, so I know you know how, but just as a friendly reminder, you do have to touch me for it to work."

"I know." His hands went to her waist, and she put her arms around his neck and felt the sparks once again surge between them as they made contact.

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"Why are they just standing there looking at each other?" Jack asked quietly from behind the plant.

"Because they're nervous. Neither wants to make the first move. It's adorably awkward." Angela smiled as she watched the scene. They were fairly close so she had discarded the binoculars.

Jack turned and put them up to his eyes, scanning the horizon beyond. "It looks like storm clouds over there, Ange."

"No, it can't rain! Not until after they make out and head back to Bren's room to have sex!" Angela was panicky at this news.

"Whoa, there, calm down! They're just going to dance. Dancing doesn't always lead to sex."

"It does with us." She grinned evilly.

"Well, that's us." He grinned back at her, and moved in to kiss her, but the next song started and Angela began bouncing up and down with glee.

"Here it is, here it is!"

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Zach sat on the edge of the bed in Jack and Angela's room. He didn't have any of his books to read, and all his work was in the room he was sharing with Booth. He had ordered room service earlier. The man had knocked on the door with his food, and had asked how he was going to pay. Zach hadn't skipped a beat. The meal was to be charged to Dr. Jack Hodgins' credit card, of course. He had felt a smile on his face as he shut the door, and had eaten slowly; it was good food.

After eating, he was back with nothing to do. He didn't want to resort to watching television, so he decided to take a big risk. He left the room and went down to the lobby where he got the extra key to his room.

He stood in front of the door, and took a deep breath. He slid the key card but the red light remained. No, this was not good. He tried again. Still nothing. He was locked out of both rooms. Exasperated, he tried a last time. His efforts were finally rewarded as the light turned green. Happy with his victory, he opened the door, and sat on the bed, amongst his own things, and opened his laptop. Now, at last, he could get something done

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After placing her arms around Booth's neck, Brennan felt her scientific, mature self lose the battle with bimbo Temperance. She was tied up somewhere in the recesses of her mind, and the bimbo side was free to wander about with a butterfly net, capturing the last bits of rational thought, and letting the actual butterflies roam free, where they found their way to her stomach, fluttering about relentlessly.

She heard a new song start, and recognized it immediately, a memory from her childhood.

"The Little Mermaid," she said aloud.

"Excuse me?" Booth's voice was quiet, a whisper in her ear. It made her shiver, an action she knew he couldn't have missed.

"This song; it's from The Little Mermaid. I watched it when I was younger. It's in the scene where Ariel and Prince Eric are in the boat, and she's trying to get him kiss her, and he's trying to learn her name."

She tightened her hold around his neck when his head threatened to turn away from her. His attention span was laughable.

"I thought I saw something behind that plant."

"That's ridiculous," she murmured. She felt a bit bolder suddenly, and leaned her head on his shoulder, moving her hands down, and wrapping them around his middle in a sort of hug. She was singing the words to the song in her head, surprised that she still recalled the lyrics so vividly.

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Angela smiled as she saw Brennan get more relaxed in the dance, but the smile faded a little as noticed Booth's lack of activity.

"Why isn't he kissing her? The song is telling him to!"

"Maybe he's not listening to the song," Jack commented from beside her.

"Grrr," Angela was worried. That song always worked, at least in her experience, coughjuniorpromcough. She stood up from behind the plant when Booth and Brennan were turned away from her and caught the band leader's eye. She made a gesture for him to carry the song further; she still hadn't gotten the result she wanted.

She pointed at the couple dancing, and the band leader nodded his head a bit, understanding. Angela relaxed and settled back behind the plant just as the two turned to face it in their dancing.

"They're gonna catch you," Jack said in a singsong voice.

"Oh, no, they won't," Angela replied, mimicking his tone. She laced her fingers through his and continued her spying.

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Booth listened to the song, and felt the pressure of Brennan's head against his shoulder. It felt good, right, like it was meant to be. The mood of the song was slowly seeping into him, and he felt a sudden urge to kiss her. Whether it was just her, or the song, or a bit of both, he didn't know, but the urge grew stronger every passing second.

He attempted to shove the urge out of his head; he didn't want to press his luck with her. If he kissed her, she could either run off, steaming mad, slap him or knee him, or, in a much more pleasant scenario, kiss him back. The odds were 2 to 1 against him.

Finally, mind made up, he shifted, causing her to lift her head from his shoulder. He met her gaze and found it serene and content. He tilted her chin, looking deep into her eyes, looking for any reason to back off. He found none.

He felt her hand come up to caress his face, stopping at his cheek, and found his own hand following a similar pattern across her face. They stepped closer to each other, first him, then her, bridging the small gap between them. He leaned down, bringing his face closer to her. She closed her eyes, and he felt his own closing as well. Their mouths were micrometers from contact when there was a deafening boom and the heavens opened up in a torrent of rain.

People gasped and yelped as they were instantly drenched. The moment was broken. Booth took her hand and they made their way inside with the rest of the dancers.

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Angela thought she was going to cry from sheer happiness. They were going to kiss. She wallowed in her victory for a moment, throwing a smug look at Jack.

"I told you they were going to kiss."

"Well, they haven't yet."

"Look at them! They will! Oh, this is so exciting!!" She could barely contain herself.

Her eyes widened as they stepped ever closer to one another, then she saw Booth move in, and it was all so perfect, and then the thunder. Her face fell, as the rain began to fall, and people began to panic. Jack, sitting beside her, watching the chaos, scoffed at the frenzied activity.

"Come on people! It's just water!"

Angela looked up at the swirling skies, so very literally raining on her parade. She lifted a fist to the darkness and muttered, "Oh, it's on."

"What?"Jack was staring at her like she was insane.

"Nothing. I was just accepting the challenge that's so obviously been hurled at me."

Jack looked confused for a moment, then stood up and held out his hand in a similar fashion to what Booth had done.

"Since we can't really get any wetter, do you wanna dance?"

She smiled and took his hand. "Oh, Jack, of course."

He led her out to the middle of the empty floor, and they held each other, swaying to the music that played in their heads and hearts.

**A/N: So, what did you think? I don't know when I'll be posting next, cause this is about as far as the story got in my head, but hopefully it won't be too long. Please review; it makes me smile, and everyone loves a smile! Thank you!!**


	10. finish what you start

**A/N: I'll be honest; my mind keeps skipping ahead in this fic, so I know what I want to write in the future, but not so much in the present. Fortunately, I have enough material for an update! Thank you all who have R&Rd. I'm not too familiar with review rewards, but from what little I do know, chocolate Booths for everyone!! Enjoy and review if you feel like it!**

**Chapter 10: Finish what you start**

Zach fiddled with his laptop for a time, then gazed around the room. He'd had a nagging feeling that something was out of place, different from the way he'd left it that morning. Booth had clearly been here at some point during the day. His eyes rested on the small table in the corner of the room, upon which was a notepad with the hotel insignia on it and a pen.

He crossed the room to it, intending to put both things in the drawer from whence they'd come, when he noticed Booth's handwriting on the pad. He'd jotted down notes about the case. Zach picked up the paper and carried it back to the bed. It contained the following:

_Adrian Riker dead_

_Crosby and Wilson jerky rent-a-cop bastards_

The descriptions were followed by a phone number about halfway down the page, then a date and time. Zach wasn't sure what to make of the number, date, and time, but he was curious about the information regarding the case, so he pulled his laptop closer to him, and began digging up articles on the victim to find more about him. Perhaps he could be a help since he hadn't been able to assist Dr. Brennan earlier.

As he scanned articles, the phone number on the paper again caught his eye, and he reached over for the hotel phone and dialed it, a grin breaking his face when he received an answering machine. Replacing the phone, he turned back to an article on the missing Adrian Riker in the local paper.

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Angela and Hodgins finished their dance, and walked slowly back into the lobby, dripping water on the floor as they went. Angela's phone had rung twice and she had ignored it both times. Now she took it out and made sure it wasn't Brennan. It wasn't.

"Cam's been calling me," she told Hodgins as they went into the hotel bar, and sat in chairs.

"Why?" Hodgins looked confused.

"Because we all ran off here without telling her anything," Angela reminded him, ordering a drink.

"Oh, yea. Are you gonna call her back?"

"Of course not."

"She's probably so pissed she can't see straight." Hodgins was smiling.

"I bet she's trying to call Bren too. Why hasn't she been calling you?"

"I'm special. Plus, I refused to give her my phone number."

Angela rolled her eyes. She thought briefly of calling Brennan to see if Cam was calling her too, but didn't want to disturb anything that might be happening between her and Booth. _Something_ had to be happening, right?

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Brennan and Booth had walked straight to the elevator, drenched with the rain. As they waited for it, Brennan could feel the butterflies still fluttering incessantly. She noted that Booth was looking at her, most likely noticing how her dress was clinging to her body. The bimbo Temperance was pleased with this, and she fleetingly wondered if the dress would be more difficult to get off if the occasion called for it.

When the elevator opened, they went in; Brennan punched the number and leaned against the back of the elevator, humming. She was hoping Booth would continue where they'd left off, but nothing was forthcoming.

"Are you humming?" he asked her.

"Yes," she replied.

"You're humming that song, aren't you?"

"Again, yes. I like it, and it's been a long time since I heard it."

"Well, now it's stuck in my head."

"Sorry." She stopped.

"Don't be."

The elevator dinged at their floor and opened.

Neither moved, and Brennan cleared her throat and said, "So, are you going to finish it?"

"Finish what?"

"What you started. Because you shouldn't start something you don't intend on finishing."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You can be incredibly infuriating at times, you know that?" She walked out of the elevator in a huff, Booth following her. She turned suddenly to face him, causing him to almost bump into her. She stood still for a moment, then grabbed the lapels of his jacket in both hands. He gave her a questioning look, but she ignored it, and swung him around, backing him up to the wall between her room and Angela's, perhaps a bit more forcefully than she'd intended.

Once she had him pinned between herself and the wall, she paused for thought. Where had that come from? Bimbo Temperance was being replaced with bold Temperance. Although, she reasoned, feeling a sudden thrill that she was capable of reasoning again, if he wasn't going to finish it, logically, it was up to her to do so.

"Uh, Bones?" His voice brought her out of her reverie, and she realized she still had him pinned, her hands on his jacket, but that she hadn't done anything else.

"Yea?"

"What are you doing?"

"Well, I was going to…never mind." The moment had come and gone. She released him and went to her door with her key. He followed, and stepped into the room after her.

"Do you think maybe you could try sleeping in your own room tonight?" she asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious around him. Bimbo Temperance had returned in full force, and brought with her that nervous feeling Brennan hated so much.

It felt like she was on her first date. They may as well have been in the backseat of his car, with him trying to feel her up. All that was needed to complete the ridiculousness of the situation was a letter jacket and a cheerleader's uniform.

"Oh, come on, Bones, it worked out ok last night, didn't it?"

"I guess so, just…" she stopped.

"Just what?"

She took a breath. "Just don't leave this time."

There was silence following her statement, the only sounds being the occasional roll of thunder.

He broke the silence, rubbing the back of his neck again. "I'm just gonna go back to my room and get changed." He turned from her, and headed out the door. When he was gone, Brennan crashed on the bed, sighing, feeling the chill from her wet clothes. Sitting up again, she rummaged through her suitcase for something nice, modest, and dry to wear to bed.

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Angela and Hodgins finished their drinks in the bar, and went back up to their room, finding it empty.

"What happened to Zach?" Hodgins asked.

"Maybe he learned how to use his key," Angela suggested.

"Aw, our weird little man's growing up," Hodgins said with a smirk. The smirk faded quickly.

"It's raining," he said evenly.

"Yea, baby, it's _been_ raining," Angela was confused.

Hodgins swallowed and barreled out of the room, racing for the elevator. Angela rushed to the doorway, calling after him. "Jack, what is it?"

"The car!!" he hollered back as he vanished in the elevator. It took a moment for the situation to register with Angela. They hadn't put the top up on the car.

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Booth opened the door to the room, and was surprised to see Zach there, engrossed in his computer.

"How'd you get in here?"

"I got the extra key."

"Congrats on learning how to open the room door," Booth said, moving to his suitcase to find something to wear.

"Thank you."

Booth glanced at the table and noticed the paper was gone.

"Where's the notepad that was here?"

"I have it. I'm doing some research on the victim."

"Well, I need it back."

"I know." A grin appeared on Zach's face. "I called that phone number."

"That was none of your business."

"You're right and I apologize, but from what I know about her, I think she'll enjoy it."

"Gee, thanks for that. Your opinion is really, really important to me." The sarcasm was lost on Zach and he smiled. Booth continued. "I _know_ she'll enjoy it, and if you say a word to her, I will throw that laptop into the sea, I swear to you."

Zach's eyes grew wide. His life was on that computer. He pulled it a little closer to him, as if to protect it.

"Yea, I thought as much." Booth grabbed the paper from the bed where it lay near Zach, and put it in his suitcase. Then he grabbed some clothes to sleep in, and disappeared in the bathroom to change. When he came out, Zach looked up from his laptop.

"Agent Booth?"

"Good night Zach."

"I have something here you should…" he began, but Booth cut him off by leaving the room.

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Brennan glanced up at the knock on the door, and looked in the peephole before opening it, although she knew who it was. She opened it, and looked from his t-shirt to his sweat pants, her eyes stopping at his socks, which were adorned with small palm trees.

"You're not wearing those to bed, are you?"

"My feet got cold last night," he said by way of explanation. He went inside the room, and she closed the door behind him.

When she turned from the door, she found herself face to face with him. It took her completely by surprise. He backed her up to it, one hand on either side of her head, his palms resting against the hard wood of the door.

"Booth, what are you doing?" She found herself getting nervous once again.

Her heart seemed to stop as he answered her, his face inches from hers. "I'm finishing what I started Bones."

**A/N: I'm mean!! Let me know how it was, pretty please, and I promise I'll update soon!**


	11. Interruptions

**A/N: Wow, ok, due to an insane amount of reviews from so many wonderful people, I felt the need to update!! Honestly, you all are just so nice and supportive. I can't say it enough; thank you, thank you, thank you!! I was toying with the idea of changing this to an M, but I'm attached to my T rating, so no full-out smut this time around. Enjoy!!**

**Chapter 11: Interruptions**

Brennan's first instinct was to shove him away, order him back to his own room and Zach, but her old self was saved from further thought by the revelation brought out by bimbo Temperance's thoughts. _You want this_.

And it was true; she did want it. Somewhere deep down inside her, she always had. So, she made no protest as his lips came over hers. She was still pinned against the door, and she put her hands on his arms and brought them around her waist before moving her own hands around his neck. Feeling an encore appearance by bold Temperance, she deepened the kiss, running her tongue over his mouth until he opened it and let her in.

She explored this new territory with an equally new hunger, feeling his own tongue as it did battle with her own. She didn't want to break the kiss; it was the last thing she wanted to do, but she needed air, so she pulled apart from him, heaving in gulps of air while he did the same.

Suddenly feeling strange, she bit her lip and looked everywhere but at him. Bold Temperance had clearly gone into hiding, or was at least taking a bathroom break. It seemed it was the latter, because the bold feeling returned in full force, and she locked eyes with him, pressing herself against him and forcing him backward onto the bed.

She crawled over him and looked at the shocked yet pleased expression on his face. It was probably one of the sexiest expressions she'd ever seen grace his face. She brought her face down to his and kissed him again, light teasing kisses, over his mouth, cheeks, and jawline. She felt his hands rest on her hips, and a delightful little shiver ran through her. Then she heard something out of place. She ignored it though, and continued concentrating on tasting the wonderfulness that was Seeley Booth.

She didn't get much farther though, as his voice broke through her sex-addled brain, taking control away from what she felt must be sex kitten Temperance.

"Uh, Bones?"

"What?" She thought she sounded drunk, but if she did, it was because of him. He was better than the finest wine in the world, and she had had her fair share of fine wines.

"Your phone's ringing."

"So?" Her phone seemed so unimportant, but it wouldn't stop ringing.

"It might be important."

She sighed, heaved herself off of him, crossed the room, and opened her phone.

"Hello? Cam, hi…Yea, Booth came to me for a consult in Marathon…A few more days, I should think…I don't know why they're all here; they just showed up at the airport…I haven't seen Angela in awhile, actually…Yea, I'll tell her to call you when I see her…No, I don't have his number; he wouldn't give it to me either…It's been sunny, but it's raining now…Uh, huh, you too…Good-bye." She closed her phone.

"What was so important about that? It could've waited until morning," she muttered. She turned around, and found him in front of her. She gave a little jump of surprise, making him smile at her.

"Do you always have to do that?" she asked.

"Do what?"

"Every time I turn around, you're right in front of me. It always startles me."

"You should be used to it by now then." He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. "Now, where were we?"

"Mood's gone, Booth. Cam killed it."

"Maybe for you, but I for one, am still totally in the mood."

His lips met hers again, the urgency and desire behind the kiss evident. She closed her eyes, losing herself in the moment, trying hard not to think of anything but the feel of his mouth on hers, about the way his arms wrapped around her, and the feeling of his hair beneath her fingers as her hands found the back of his head.

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Jack came back in from the rain, a dejected look on his face. He entered their room to find Angela in bed with a romance paperback. She looked up when she heard the door shut.

"Is it bad?" she asked.

"Not if you don't mind a wet ass tomorrow."

She grinned and patted the bed beside her. "Come to bed. I've just started a really steamy scene in this novel, and you know what those do to me." She waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"I'm so there!" Hodgins undressed with the speed of light and dove into the bed.

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After Booth left, Zach debated whether or not to go to Dr. Brennan's room to share what he'd found. He decided it might be a bad idea, and tried to get some sleep. His discovery wouldn't let him fall asleep however, so he ended up just sitting in the dark, building up the courage to go tell Booth.

Finally, he sat up, and headed to the room 2 doors down.

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When Brennan and Booth pulled apart, Brennan found herself looking at the ground; more specifically at his socks.

"Could you…take those off? It's really difficult to take you seriously when you have them on."

He gave her a quizzical expression, which then melted into a look of pure mischief.

"All right, but you have to take something off too."

"But, I'm not wearing any socks."

"I know." His eyebrow went up.

"Must you turn everything into a game?"

"Yes, I think I must." He sat on the bed and pulled his socks off, hurling them in her direction. "Now you."

"Fine." With a smug look on her face, she took the clip out of her hair, letting it fall loose behind her shoulders.

"Come on Bones, that doesn't count!"

"You said I had to take something off; I took the clip off."

"No, you took the clip _out_. It's different." She threw the clip at him, which he caught and put on the nightstand next to the bed. "Something else."

"Baby," She said with a grin, letting him know she was teasing. She thought for a moment, then reached under and behind the t-shirt she was wearing, unhooked her strapless bra, pulled it out, and threw it at him. He caught that too, and held it, flustered, and even more turned on than he'd been before.

"Happy now?" she asked. He just nodded dumbly.

"Your turn."

He pulled his shirt off in one swift movement and tossed it to her. She put it on top of the socks, and attempted to keep herself from staring. She didn't make it very long. Bimbo Temperance wanted to look.

"Come here."

Normally, she would've protested his ordering her to do anything, but she couldn't bring herself to do anything except obey. The tone of his voice commanded it. It was pure seduction; oozing sex, and she was powerless against it. As strong as she was, she was no match for those two words.

She strode over to him, and sat in his lap, facing him, her legs wrapping around him. His hand ran through the soft strands of her hair, and he tilted her chin and kissed her again, her chest pressed up against his. It felt so good, this contact. She never wanted it to end, and she wanted more of it; she wanted him.

When they broke apart, his fingers found the bottom of her shirt, and he started to pull it up. She noted that his hands were shaking; he was nervous, maybe even scared. And when she looked at her own, she saw hers were shaking too. She hadn't even noticed. Her shirt went up, revealing more and more skin, and it was almost up to the bottom of her breasts when there was a soft yet insistent knock at the door.

Booth's hands froze, leaving Brennan's shirt halfway up. They both looked at the door. Booth decided that he would murder whoever was on the other side. Just kill them. Even if it was Ed McMahon with a huge check, telling him he'd won a million dollars. He'd kill him; shove that check so far up his… Brennan's voice cut off his homicidal musings.

"Should we answer it?" As if in answer, the knock repeated itself.

Booth sighed. "Might as well, or they'll never go away."

Brennan crawled off him, easing her shirt back down, and made her way to the door. She looked in the peephole and opened the door to reveal Zach, in pajamas with feet.

"Zach? What is it?"

"I found something about the case. I was trying to tell Agent Booth earlier, but he left before I could. It's important, I believe, and I didn't want to wait until morning. Hello, Agent Booth." He waved a hand in greeting, noticing Booth on the bed.

Booth gave him a forced smile, and nodded in acknowledgment, snorting back laughter when he caught sight of Zach's footie pajamas. "Let's hear it Zach." Despite the kid's awful timing, his curiosity was piqued. If Zach had discovered some new information, he could use it to worm his way into the investigation.

"I was reading articles in the local papers from when Adrian Riker first went missing. He lived on the mainland, in Miami. His employer was the one who filed the missing persons report after he never showed up for work." Zach paused to take a breath.

"Ok; you'd better not be finished," Booth told him.

"I'm not. Adrian Riker also had a wife, named Janet, a Miami police officer." Zach smiled, proud of himself.

"Yea, Zach, I'm gonna pound you now." Booth was irritated with the interruption. No doubt Officers Crosby and Wilson already knew all of this.

"Still not finished. Janet Riker never reported him missing; in fact she moved to Marathon not too long after the report was filed, reverted back to her maiden name, and is the woman you know as Officer Wilson, one of the two rent-a-cop bastards."

"How'd you find all that out?" Booth was reeling from the information.

"A master never shares his secrets," Zach said with a grin.

"Her investigating the case is a conflict of interest," Brennan thought aloud.

"Exactly. Which means I can step in! Yes!! Anything else Zach?"

"Actually, yes. She also has a sister, who has lived here for years. You might want to talk to her."

Booth rubbed his hands together. "Oh, this is excellent! I'll look her up in the morning. You have an address?"

Zach nodded and handed him a slip of paper with the address for Nadine Wilson.

"Thanks Zach, good work! This case will be mine yet!"

Having finished with Zach, Booth propelled him towards the door, shut it behind him, then turned back to Brennan.

"Where were we?"

In answer, Brennan moved him back to the bed, pushing him down onto it, and resuming her earlier position. She felt that same wonderful shiver as he began his second attempt at removing her shirt. But, alas, it was not to be, as there was another knock on the door, followed by Zach's voice.

"Agent Booth? It appears I have left my key in the room. Do you have yours?"

Booth sighed. Brennan stood to let him up, and he grabbed his keycard from the nightstand and opened the door to give it to Zach.

"Thank you Agent Booth."

"Zach, is there anything else? Any other reason you might have to knock at the door?"

"Not that I can think of, Agent Booth."

"Ok, good." He shut the door in Zach's face and went back to Bones, who was yawning.

He was almost to the bed when there was another knock.

"I am going to kill him; I don't care if they lock me up for eternity," he muttered. He opened the door.

"What?"

"I can't open the door."

"I thought you could!"

"Perhaps that last time was a fluke. Could you open it for me please?"

"Do I have a choice?" He grabbed the card to Brennan's room so he could let himself back in, took Zach's card, and followed him to the door. He ran the card through. The light didn't turn. He tried again. Still nothing. He glared, first at Zach, then the offending card. After futilely kicking and pounding it until his fist was sore, he tried one last time. The light turned green.

"There ya go. Good night. And stay in there this time."

"Good night Agent Booth." Zach disappeared inside, and Booth ran back to Brennan's room. He let himself in, grumbling when the light turned on the first try. He stepped inside, shutting the door.

"Bones?" She was in bed, fast asleep. He thought about waking her, but decided against it. She looked peaceful. He crawled in next to her, and snuggled up close, looking forward to what the investigation tomorrow might turn up.

**A/N: That got kinda long! But, I couldn't find a good stopping place before right here, so I guess that's the way it is! Let me know what you thought, please! **


	12. business and pleasure

**A/N: Ok, who's ready for an update? You are? Good, cause I got one for ya!! Thanks as always to all who took the time to review! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 12: business and pleasure**

Zach woke up to a loud banging on his room door. He yawned, stretched, and climbed out, stumbling to the door. He wrenched it open, revealing a dressed and smiling Hodgins, whose smile grew wider as he took in Zach's footie pajamas.

"Why aren't you ready?! It's already 9."

Zach rubbed his eyes and blinked at Hodgins. "Ready for what?"

"It's a surprise; now hurry it up, or we'll be late!"

"I don't like surprises, particularly when you're the one doing the surprising."

"Too damn bad, now go!" He gave Zach a shove backward into the room, and shut the door.

Angela was waiting in the hallway. "Are you sure we shouldn't tell him? I mean, he doesn't like flying in a plane; he's not gonna like hang gliding."

"Don't care, he's going. And by the time he realizes what we're doing, it'll be too late!" He rubbed his hands together wickedly.

Angela just shook her head. She had decided to take a couple days off from her matchmaking mission to concentrate on Jack and having a good time. Besides, she was pretty sure that something had come out of last night. She was tempted to knock on Brennan's door and find out for sure, but Jack had convinced her to let it go, for now anyway. She'd make sure they met up for some girl talk that evening.

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Brennan woke up slowly; her mind in a fog. Did she sleep with Booth last night or not? She couldn't seem to recall. A quick check under the covers showed her that she was fully clothed. Too bad. But it had been a late night. The last thing she could recall vividly was Zach coming to the door; once, twice, three times.

She rolled over and found herself face to face with her partner. He was still asleep, and at a glance at the clock, she decided to wake him up. It was getting close to 9 and she knew he'd want to get going and talk to Nadine Wilson.

She debated how to wake him up. Her logical side favored simply calling his name, maybe shaking him a little. Bold Temperance wanted to kiss him, and bimbo Temperance was no help at all, as she didn't want to wake him; only wanting to watch him sleep.

Bold Temperance won out, and she leaned over him, placing her lips gently over his and whispering his name. His eyelids fluttered open, and he smiled at her. "Good morning."

She returned the smile. "I thought you'd wanna get up."

He ran his hand lazily through her hair, cupping her cheek as he looked at her. "What time is it?"

"9."

That got him up in a hurry. His hand dropped from her cheek and he bolted from the bed, rushing from the room to grab some clothes, calling to her as he went, "Hurry up and get ready Bones, I wanna get started on the case!" When he was gone, Brennan stretched, and sat up, happy that he'd stayed, but wishing that they'd gotten just a bit further last night.

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When Zach was ready, the three trooped out to the Corvette, and Hodgins unlocked the doors. He and Angela just stood there while Zach climbed in, not knowing that the seats were drenched. It made a squishy sound when he sat down, and he winced.

"You didn't put the top up last night, did you?" Hodgins was grinning from ear to ear, and Angela stifled a giggle at the expression on Zach's face.

"Nope."

"The rental agency isn't gonna be very happy with you."

"I'll survive, Zach." Hodgins replied and looked at Angela. "After you."

"How chivalrous of you," she said flatly, and sat gingerly in the passenger side. Hodgins took a deep breath, and sat down in the driver's side, wincing slightly as Zach had done. He shifted around in the wet seat, and then, when he was comfortable, he put the top down as the sun had returned in earnest, and they took off.

"Where are we going?" Zach yelled against the wind when they were on the highway. "I know you said it was a surprise, but I think I should know in case it's something that I'm unable to do, or something that might kill me."

"You'll be fine; don't worry." Hodgins brushed Zach's concerns off. It wasn't like they'd be gliding solo anyway.

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When Booth showed up back at her door, Brennan was ready to leave, but not quite ready to go. He paused in the doorway, noticing that she wasn't making any move to get out of the room. She was ready. They could go right? He looked at her quizzically, and in answer she grabbed him by the tie and gently tugged him into the room after her, kicking the door closed with her foot, and removing her shoes in the same moment. She was starting to get attached to bold Temperance.

"Bones, we need to go." He seemed impatient, as though they only had an hour in which to interview Nadine Wilson before she left the country, or some other equally unlikely scenario.

"Booth, Nadine isn't going anywhere. I saw Hodgins and Angela leaving with Zach a little while ago, so he won't be knocking." Her voice had taken on a seductive tone and she looked at him suggestively. He finally seemed to get it. A smile lit up his face, and he moved in close to her, wrapping his arms around her, and giving her a kiss that took her breath away, his hands snaking under her shirt. She heard herself gasp around his mouth as his hands cupped her breasts and he moved her over to the bed.

They emerged from the room some time later, flushed and disheveled, Brennan running her hands through her hair, and Booth straightening out the clothes he'd thrown back on. After feeling they were presentable, they went out to the sedan, which didn't seem to want to start. 

After trying three times, Booth, growing increasingly frustrated, buried his head in his arms, which rested against the steering wheel.

"Corvette, Bones, we could've gotten a Corvette," he said, his voice muffled.

"No, we couldn't have." Calmly, she reached over and turned the keys in the ignition, caressing his face before returning her hand to her own side of the car. The engine started immediately. Booth leaned his head back against the seat with a sigh, while Brennan relished her triumph.

"I think I just earned the right to drive," she said brightly.

"Do you have Nadine Wilson's address?"

"Well, no, you do."

"Exactly." Before she could voice a protest, he reached out, gave her knee a quick squeeze, and put the sedan in drive, pulling out of the parking lot.

After driving around for longer than Brennan would've liked, they located Nadine's home.

"Ya know, if I'd been driving, I bet we would've found it faster."

"How?"

"Well, because I have a good sense of direction."

"So do I," Booth said indignantly.

"Not from what I just witnessed. You passed it twice."

"I couldn't read the numbers. The sun was in my eyes."

"So, it was in your eyes the first two times we passed, and then it moved out of your field of vision in the time it took us to go around the block again?"

Booth paused. "Yes."

They went up the steps to the door and before Booth could say anything, Brennan had knocked on the door. She caught the look he gave her and mouthed 'what?' at him. His look told her that she knew exactly what. She smirked and, hearing footsteps approach the door, gave him a quick kiss on the lips before the door opened, and she went into business mode.

A woman appeared in the doorway, and Booth was struck by how much she resembled her sister. This was definitely Nadine Wilson.

Again, Brennan took the initiative. "Nadine Wilson?"

The woman nodded.

"I'm Dr. Temperance Brennan from the Jeffersonian Institute in D.C. This is Special Agent Seeley Booth with FBI. We wanted to ask you a few questions about your sister."

"Is Jan ok?" Nadine asked, concern etching her face.

"She's fine. May we come in?" Nadine nodded and ushered them in. Booth glared at Brennan and whispered in her ear. "My case. Mine, not yours. Mine."

Brennan rolled her eyes, but nodded, agreeing to let him take over.

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When they were in sight of their destination, Zach's mouth fell open as he laid eyes on the three gliders overlooking a cliff, the picturesque beach below.

"Why are there three gliders?" he asked, feeling a sense of panic set in.

"Because there are three of us…duh," Hodgins replied.

"I can't…I…" He seemed to have lost his ability to speak coherently. Planes were bad, but at least you were in an enclosed space with something solid below your feet. A hang glider, on the other hand, had no such surface. There was just air.

"You'll be fine. You'll have fun." Hodgins stopped the car, and he and Angela got out. Zach stayed put.

"Come on, Zach. It's not so bad. It's not even that high a drop," Angela said in what she hoped was a soothing tone. She took his hand and pulled him from the car. As soon as she let him go, he took off.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Hodgins ran after him, catching up quickly, and diving for him, his arms catching Zach around the middle in an informal, less than graceful tackle. They both went down.

"Don't make this any harder than it has to be! The only way to get over your fear is to experience it. That way you can see how irrational it is."

"I can't breathe," Zach said, his face buried in the ground. Hodgins eased off of him, and they both sat on the ground, while Zach pondered Jack's statement. Perhaps his fear was irrational after all. Maybe he should give it a try. Science, after all, was about experimentation. On the other hand, it was a glider, high up in the air.

**A/N: Will Zach go hang gliding? What information will Nadine Wilson provide Booth and Brennan? Answers to these questions in the next chapter!! Reviews are rays of sunshine! Please and thank you!! **


	13. breaks

**A/N: I must apologize for my lack of updates and not replying to reviews. I have been feeling like crap and attempting to get another job where I can work more than 14 hours a week. At any rate, here's the next chap. Enjoy!!**

**Chapter 13: breaks**

Nadine Wilson led Booth and Brennan to the couch in the front room.

"Can I get either of you anything to drink?"

Brennan shook her head as Booth nodded. "Water would be nice please."

Nadine disappeared into the kitchen, and returned with water glasses, which she set on the coffee table in front of them. Then she took a seat in the chair across from them and waited.

Booth cleared his throat. He'd half been expecting Brennan to take up the questioning, but it now seemed as though she was going to let him take over as he'd asked.

"What can you tell us about your sister moving here from Miami?"

"Well, after Adrian went missing, we talked on the phone a lot. I've been down here for awhile. I'm from Miami too, originally. After I moved here, we didn't see each other much. Her work kept her pretty busy. I hadn't heard from her in a long time. She called me to tell me what was going on, and asked me some questions about housing and employment. I got excited that she was considering moving here because then I could see her more often, but I thought it was a little odd that she didn't want to stay and find out about Adrian." Nadine took a sip from her own water glass before continuing.

"When she did move, she brought someone with her. She introduced him to me as her boyfriend. I couldn't believe that she would see someone else when she didn't even know where Adrian was or if he was ok. She told me that she'd been seeing him for awhile. I figured she and Adrian had marriage problems or something, like any other couple, and she'd found solace with another man. Jan's always been like that. It about gave me a heart attack when she told me she was getting married to Adrian. So unlike her. Anyway, she got a job with the department here, and I guess there's not really that much else to tell."

Booth mulled this all over in his head, looking down at the floor. Then he looked back up at Nadine. "What is this boyfriend's name?"

"Jason Crosby."

The two exchanged looks. "Thank you Ms. Wilson. That's all we need. We appreciate the time." Booth stood, took a drink of water, and moved to the door, Brennan on his heels.

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Zach stayed on the ground with Hodgins nearby in case he ran for it again. Finally coming to a decision, he stood up, brushing grass and dirt from his clothes.

"I will try it."

"Yes, good, let's go!" Hodgins stood up as well, and the two made their way back to Angela, who was still snickering over the earlier tackle.

"You know, Jack, you should really be playing pro football. I don't know how they ever could have let you get away from them!"

"Yea, yea." He turned to their pilots, who were waiting patiently. "We're ready guys!"

They listened as they were given information about the gliders, the equipment, and how the process itself worked. It was all very interesting, but Angela and especially Hodgins, were eager to get in the air. For Zach, the lesson wasn't near long enough. The pilots led them over to the gliders where they put helmets and other gear on, and they were strapped in.

"Zach, can you hear me?" Angela spoke into the mouthpiece on her helmet.

"Yes."

"You'll be fine. You're in good hands. Try and have fun."

Zach's glider went first. The pilot spoke to him for a few moments, and they took off. As they got closer to the edge of the cliff, Zach inhaled deeply for the scream he was sure would rip from his lungs. They ran out of land and went over the edge.

Angela and Hodgins observed as the glider swooped up, gaining height.

"I never knew Zach had such a set of lungs on him," Hodgins commented as Zach's ear piercing scream into his mouthpiece left his ears ringing.

Hodgins went over next. As they went over the cliff, he yelled.

"Cowabunga!!"

Angela, left alone with her pilot on solid ground, rolled her eyes, a grin on her face. "Cowabunga?" She looked at the pilot. "Cowabunga?! I didn't think anyone said that anymore." Curious, she asked, "What's the weirdest thing you've heard someone say as they went over?"

"Their last will and testament," the pilot replied with a smile. "You ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Angela replied. They took off, and as they went over, Angela let out a short squeal, thinking that whoever had said their last will and testament while going over may have been onto something.

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"We really shouldn't be stopping for lunch, Booth."

"We need to eat, Bones, and we also need to get this all straightened out in our heads before we do anything."

They were sitting across from each other in a local diner near Nadine Wilson's home, and had ordered lunch.

"Well, we know that Janet Wilson was cheating on Adrian Riker before he went missing, and after he did go missing, moved with her lover to Marathon," Brennan began.

"We also know that her lover is the other officer assigned to this case, Crosby, which means neither of them should be working on it, and also makes them suspects," Booth added.

"I need to get back down to the morgue and do some more studying of the remains. All they asked for was an ID, and I gave that to them. I didn't focus on much else. I need to check for injuries consistent with homicide."

Booth nodded in agreement. "We'll head down there after we eat, and you can get all nice and cozy with the remains. If anyone tried to stop you, I'll arrest them. I also need to question Crosby and Wilson." He nodded resolutely, glad to have a plan. A slight look of panic appeared on his face as her leg crossed the space between them and ran along his own.

"Bones…we're working." He looked nervously around the diner despite the fact that the table was hidden from view by the tablecloth which covered it.

"No, technically, we're not. We're taking a lunch break." She smiled smugly, realizing that perhaps she wasn't in control of the timing of bold Temperance's appearances. The thought was both disconcerting and intriguing at the same time.

"Ya know," she began, removing the sandal from her foot and moving it higher and higher until it was nestled between his legs and she was rubbing her bare toes against him. "I think we might have a little time before our lunch gets here." She accompanied her statement with a wicked smile, wondering what possessed her to say these things.

She couldn't want him again so soon, could she? The answer was simple enough. Yes, yes she could, and she did. All aspects of her personality were joined together in the cry for Seeley Booth, and bold Temperance had taken the initiative to make sure they all got what they wanted.

Booth looked at her, a gleam in his eye that she recognized from that morning. Bold Temperance had won. He stood up, and took her hand, leading her from their table and into the diner bathroom. Apparently bold Temperance wasn't too picky about location.

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When the three gliders made smooth landings on solid ground once more, Jack extricated himself from the harnesses, and after thanking and shaking hands with the pilots, stumbled dizzily to the Corvette, Angela and Zach followed in a similar state. He collapsed in the driver's seat, waiting to start the car when the dizziness wore off. He was smiling happily. That had been one of the best experiences he'd ever had, and that was saying a lot. Jack Hodgins had experienced many things in his lifetime.

He turned to Angela. "How'd you like it, Ange?"

"It was fun, but I'm not sure I'd do it again. There's something about it that didn't sit right with me. I can't put my finger on it."

"Well, I, for one, could do that every day for the rest of my life! Zach, what'd you think?"

"I think…," Zach began. "I think I'm going to be sick." And before Hodgins could react, he promptly lost his breakfast in the backseat of the Corvette.

**A/N: Hope you liked it! Please R&R!! You know I crave it!! **


	14. Beach bunnies

**A/N: I just wanted to say I'm really enjoying writing this fic, and I hope you're enjoying reading it as well!! Without further ado, I give you chap 14!! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 14: Beach bunnies**

"Feeling better Zach?" Hodgins asked dryly as they drove back to the hotel after cleaning up the Corvette as best they could.

"Much better, thank you. In fact, I feel perfectly fine."

"Great," Hodgins replied, drawing out the word, a less than genuine smile plastered on his face. Still, despite the car incident, he was having a decent day. And it wasn't over yet. Not by a long shot.

"Don't go anywhere tonight, Zach," he called back.

"Why?"

"I have something else planned."

Angela glanced at him. "I hope it doesn't involve me because I'm gonna snag Bren for some long overdue girl talk tonight."

"Nope, it's a guys only thing."

"Good."

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After leaving the diner, Brennan was still quite breathless from the quickie in the bathroom. She leaned against the door of the car and took several even breaths, trying to get her body regulated 

again. Once this was achieved, she clambered into the passenger side, and after Booth climbed in, they were off to the morgue.

Upon arriving, Booth strode up to the receptionist. After introductions, he asked if Officers Wilson and Crosby were on hand. He wanted to question them, although he didn't mention that to the woman behind the desk.

"They're working on another case in Grassy Key. They're not expected back for a couple of days." Booth gritted his teeth in frustration, then nodded in acknowledgment. He couldn't track them down if they were working elsewhere. It might impede whatever investigation they were working on.

Brennan cut in. "I need to see the remains of Adrian Riker that were brought in."

The receptionist didn't even look at her. "The local forensics team took them this morning for further analysis."

"Well, when will they be brought back here?"

"A couple of days."

"A couple of days for everything," Booth muttered. "Come on, Bones." He ushered her out the door and back to the car.

"Unbelievable," Brennan said as she slumped in the car seat. "We can't do anything until Wilson, Crosby, and the remains come back here."

"You wanna hit the beach?"

She looked over at him, ready to protest. She knew there was nothing they could do about the case for now, but having a good time just didn't seem appropriate. On the other hand…being on the beach with him _was_ tempting.

"All right. Let's head back." She smiled at him and they headed back to the hotel.

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They arrived at the hotel only to find the other three crossing the lobby. Angela turned and saw them and ran over to Brennan.

"Sweetie, you and I are meeting tonight at 8 in the restaurant. We're long overdue for some talking."

"All right, that sounds like fun Ange. Booth and I are going to the beach now."

"Really? Us too! Come by my room before you change. I wanna see your bathing suit." She headed off back to Hodgins and Zach, and they all boarded the elevator together.

Brennan knocked on Angela's room door, leaving Booth in her room. Angela answered it and gestured at her to come in. Brennan entered, hearing water in the bathroom. Hodgins was in the shower, and could be heard clearly humming the theme song from 'The X-Files'.

"Ok, sweetie, let's see it." Brennan unrolled the bathing suit she'd been carrying under her arm and handed it to Angela. Angela's face fell as she looked at it.

"Where did you get this, Bren? The 1920's?"

Brennan looked at her full length, ¾ sleeved black and white striped suit, then back at Angela. "What's wrong with it? It's practical."

"You don't want practical! You want sexy!"

"I do?" Normal Temperance wanted the simple practical suit back, but bimbo Temperance wanted a two piece, something that showed off her body. The two personalities dueled and bimbo Temperance came out on top.

"Yes you do." She opened the bathroom door and tossed the suit in, confident that Brennan wouldn't go in after it.

She opened her suitcase and pulled out the two bikinis she'd packed, laying them out side by side on the bed. "Now, which one for you?" She ended up selecting the skimpiest of the two, navy blue in color. Brennan eyed it. Bimbo Temperance approved, and knew that Booth would too.

"Perfect. Now, take that back to your room and get changed. We'll meet you and Booth in the hallway."

Brennan headed for the door, hearing Hodgins come out of the shower and ask, "Who threw this prison uniform in here? Ange?"

Brennan shut the door behind her, and Hodgins came out, wrapped in a towel, and holding the striped suit.

"That's Bren's old bathing suit," Angela informed him.

Hodgins raised an eyebrow. "_This_ is a bathing suit?!"

"It was 80 years ago." Angela smiled, and plucked the offending suit from his hands.

"God, you look hot in nothing but a towel. It reminds me of that night we were all in quarantine." She smiled and wrapped her arms around his still damp body, moving in for a kiss.

"You know what would be really hot?" he asked after they pulled apart, his hands on her hips.

"What?" she replied, seduction in her voice.

"If you wore that bathing suit." He chuckled and she smacked his shoulder playfully.

"Only if you promise I won't have to wear it for long."

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When Brennan came into her room, she found Booth sprawled on the bed in his bathing suit, a tourism book over his face. He was snoring. Brennan rolled her eyes, a smile gracing her face as she walked over to him and pulled it from his face. He opened his eyes and lifted his head upon seeing her.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself. I'll be ready in a few minutes. I just need to get changed." She leaned over him, pressing a kiss to his cheek before disappearing into the bathroom.

When she emerged, he felt his mouth drop open and he sucked in a deep breath. "Wow, Bones."

"Thank Angela. This is not my suit."

"It should be. It's…wow." He resisted the urge to whistle at her, instead pulling her to him for a kiss. Then they headed out the door together. Angela and Hodgins were already in the hallway, waiting for them. Angela had beach towels and Hodgins had a Frisbee tucked under his arm.

They waited for Zach, who came out minutes later, a large beach towel wrapped around his shoulders and smelling strongly of Angela's sunscreen. He wasn't taking any chances this time.

They headed out for the beach that lay behind the hotel. It was smaller than the one Angela and Hodgins had been to the previous day, but it was still nice, and it was less crowded. Angela and Brennan chose a site and spread out towels. Zach sat down with them and the three watched Hodgins and Booth throw the Frisbee back and forth.

"Come on Zach!" Hodgins called out.

"I don't think I can," Zach called.

Hodgins rolled his eyes, and threw the Frisbee at Zach. He let out a little yell as it sailed to him, throwing his hands up in the hopes that somehow he'd catch it. He didn't and it hit him square in the face. He held up the disc and threw it overhand and sideways. It didn't go very far and rolled through the sand to the water's edge, where Booth recovered it and sent it flying to Hodgins.

"Aren't they so adorable? They're just like little boys…only way hot," Angela smiled. She was hoping to get a response from Brennan that would indicate that she and Booth were together but none was forthcoming. She'd just have to ask flat out when they were at the restaurant. She didn't want to get into a relationship conversation on the beach.

Zach stared at the small waves washing over the sand. He stood up, took a deep breath, slipped off his sandals, and walked to the water's edge, feeling the sand beneath his bare toes. He stuck a foot tentatively in the water, then began wading in carefully, always making sure his feet stayed on solid ground. He couldn't swim, but wading was all right.

Angela and Brennan followed him in, but they went out further, letting the waves carry them out. It was a great feeling for Brennan. She felt free. Hodgins put the Frisbee away on the towel and came in after Angela, wrapping his arms around her from behind. She turned in his embrace and they shared a kiss.

Brennan looked after them, sharing a look with Booth, who was still on the beach, sitting on a towel. She wanted him to get in with them, but then noticed he was on the phone. She came back onto the beach and crashed next to him. He was apparently checking in with Cullen. She waited patiently until he was done.

"Everything all right?" she asked once he'd hung up.

"Yea, I was just bringing Cullen up to speed on the case. Let him know I was working it now."

Brennan nodded and looked out at the sunset.

"It's beautiful," she said quietly, commenting on the pinks, purples, and oranges lighting the sky.

"Yea, it is," he replied. She flushed as she realized he was looking at her, not the sunset. He grinned at her then. "Sorry, that was lame."

"No, it wasn't lame. And if it was, then I suppose I must like lame." She returned his grin and gave his hand a squeeze as their companions returned from the water. They packed up the towels and headed back to the hotel.

**A/N: Please R&R!! Next up should be up relatively soon, cause I already have the idea for it! I hope you liked this one and thank you!!**


	15. Inebriation nation

**A/N: I won't say anything except I have been waiting to write this chap since chapter 12; it just wasn't the right time for it until now! Please, enjoy!!**

**Chapter 15: Inebriation nation**

After they'd all had a chance to recover from their fun on the beach, Angela came to collect Brennan. She knocked on the door, and her friend answered.

"I'm ready," she stated, moving to close the door.

Angela's eyes narrowed slightly as she heard snoring from within.

"Is that Booth? Did he stay in your room all this time? And is that his bathing suit in the corner?" She gasped, covering her mouth with her hand to muffle her impending squeal.

"Don't be ridiculous, Angela. Booth changed back into his regular clothes, and fell asleep in my room. It's that simple." She knew she was lying to her friend, but she didn't want to tell her in the middle of the hallway. It wasn't the appropriate place to mention the mind blowing sex they'd had after coming in from the beach.

"Sweetie, it's never that simple. But I'm not going to pry…yet. Let's go get a table before they get busy." They headed for the elevator.

A little while later Booth woke up to an irritating constant pounding on the door. He grumbled to himself, pulled his bathing suit back on, and answered the door.

Hodgins looked at him as the door opened.

"Dude, get some clothes on!"

"What do you want?"

"I'm headin' to the bar with Zach. You wanna come with and get totally plastered?"

"Both of you?"

"Yea, I'm gonna get Zach drunk!" Hodgins grinned evilly and rubbed his hands together.

"Lemme guess, he doesn't drink."

"Oh, he does; he just doesn't know it yet!" Hodgins was positively brimming with anticipation over this latest plan.

"Gimme a few minutes." He knew he had some clothes around this room somewhere.

Once Booth was dressed, Hodgins rounded up Zach with the promise of as many Shirley Temples as he could drink, and the three were off to the hotel bar.

"I'm picking up the tab, so go crazy," Hodgins told Booth. "And give me your key. I 'm keeping track of them. I've already got Zach's. Zach, you want a Shirley Temple, right?"

"Yes, please." Zach seated himself at a table, glancing around at the other patrons and the stage set up for karaoke.

"All right!" Hodgins grinned at Booth. "Here we go!" He went to the bar and ordered Zach a Shirley Temple containing a secret ingredient. The ingredient was vodka.

"Bottoms up Z-man! There's plenty more where that came from!" The smile never left Hodgins' face as Zach reached for the drink.

"Hodgins, this tastes a little different from the other Shirley Temples I've had."

Hodgins looked flustered for a moment, but recovered quickly. "It's a Keys thing, man. Taste differs here. Trust me, I've been here before. I know." He hoped Zach would buy it, and breathed an audible sigh of relief when the young man took another sip.

Booth observed the entire thing, chuckling quietly and sipping his beer.

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Brennan and Angela sat at a table in the back of the restaurant, and talked about the case. Angela was trying to be polite, listening to what Brennan was saying, but it was getting more and more difficult with each passing minute. Finally she couldn't stand it anymore.

"Ok, sweetie, as interesting as the case is…what is up with you and Booth? Anything happening?!" She leaned over as she said this, her face close to Brennan's.

"Ange, you look kind of crazed. Settle down."

Angela composed herself and settled back in her seat. Then she looked expectantly at Brennan.

"We're sort of together."

"Sort of?"

"Well yes. We've slept together, but I'm not sure where we stand yet."

"I'll tell you where you stand. You're a couple. Booth wants it that way, has wanted it that way since like forever. Trust me on this!" She beamed and grabbed both her friend's hands.

"This is so wonderful! I've been waiting and waiting for years!" She couldn't help the next question that left her lips. "What got you two together in the first place?"

"Well, honestly, it was that night at dinner in the restaurant. We danced, and there was that song from The Little Mermaid playing, you know the one, and that started it all." Angela smiled brightly to herself. She had succeeded. Mission accomplished.

She also couldn't help the next question that she spoke. "So, spill; what's Booth like in bed?"

Brennan flushed. "Ange!"

"I know he's gotta be good, I just wanna know_ how_ good."

"I don't ask you how good Hodgins is."

"No, you don't, but I'll tell you. He's great, very attentive. He does this thing with his tongue that….whoo!" She smiled at her friend.

"Well, Booth is…very satisfactory."

"Satisfactory?! Come on, sweetie. I know better than that. No way that man can just be satisfactory."

Brennan gave in. "Ok, fine, he's the best I've ever had, and you know that's saying a lot."

"That's better. Keep going."

"He makes me feel things that no one ever has before. It's infuriating the way he makes me act sometimes, but at the same time, it's incredible."

Angela couldn't stop smiling. "I'm so happy for you! Ok, I think I've tortured you enough for one night. What else do you want to talk about?"

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5 'special' Shirley Temple's later, Zach was officially intoxicated; as were Booth and Hodgins. The three sat at their table, watching a pretty young woman sing Madonna on the karaoke stage.

Booth pointed the neck of his beer bottle at her. "If I wasn't with Bones, I'd totally tap that."

"Oh, yea me too! If I wasn't with Angela. What about you Zach? Would you tap that?"

"I don't know what that means," Zach slurred. He sniffed and began giggling inanely. "Guess who I was?"

Booth thought hard for a moment through the alcohol induced haze in his mind. Finally, he held up a finger, a silly smile on his face. "I know! You were Bones! Cause she always says that."

Hodgins joined in the laughter, and saw the girl leave the stage to watered applause.

"Booth! Man, get up there!"

Suddenly, singing whiledrunk seemed like a great idea to Booth, and he stumbled up on stage and began a rousing rendition of 'Mandy' by Barry Manilow. When he finished, Hodgins whistled loudly and clapped, while Zach couldn't seem to put his hands together to clap.

"Why'd you do that one?" Hodgins asked as Booth crashed down, almost missing his chair.

"Cause I know the words. And it's a pretty song."

"Yea, it's a very pretty song," Hodgins agreed.

"Hodgie, Zach, I love you guys. I mean, I _love_ you guys. You're great! Great squints." Booth slung an arm around each.

"I wanna sing!" Zach called. He ate the cherry left sitting in his latest Shirley Temple, and ambled on stage, tripping on the stairs, and crawling the rest of the way.

He stood in front of the microphone, then said loudly into it, "What should I sing?"

"Sing Cher!" Hodgins called out.

"Yea, Cher!" Booth echoed.

Zach began a slurred version of 'The Shoop-Shoop Song'. He didn't get halfway through it, though, before he passed out.

"Aw, man, c'mon! Boo! Boo!" Hodgins called out. "Get off the stage!" He went up onstage and pulled Zach off. Being bumped down the steps brought Zach back, and they stayed in the bar talking about nonsensical things, until the man behind the bar announced that they were closing.

From there, the three managed to make it into the elevator, supporting one another to remain upright. They helped each other to their rooms, then helped each other to the _correct_ rooms, after Booth found a shocked lingerie-clad Angela waiting for him in bed, and Zach was confronted with a sleeping Brennan. Unaware of the situation, he'd actually crashed into bed with her before being pulled out by Booth.

Once all the men were in their proper rooms, they fell asleep immediately, dreaming drunken little dreams.

**A/N: Ok, what did you think? I like this chap personally; it was fun to write. Did anyone pick out the little Angel reference in this chap? A chocolate Booth for you if you did!! Please R&R and thank you!!**


	16. surprises

**A/N: Wow, long time, no updates! Please forgive me and enjoy!!**

**Chapter 16: surprises**

Booth woke up the next morning with a colossal hangover. What the hell had happened last night? He thought until his head protested the effort. He recalled himself, Hodgins, and Zach in the bar the previous night. Being intelligent, he put two and two together and concluded that they'd consumed ridiculous amounts of alcohol.

He thought some more, and groaned aloud as he was able to recall his telling Hodgins and Zach that he loved them. Hopefully, they wouldn't remember. He rolled over to face Brennan, only to discover that she wasn't there. This confused him for a brief moment, then he heard water running in the bathroom, and he relaxed.

Brennan emerged from the bathroom in a towel, another one wrapped around her hair. She smiled when she noticed he was awake.

"Good morning."

"Speak for yourself," he replied, pulling her pillow over his face when she drew back the curtains, letting the sunshine enter the room.

"Hangover?" she asked. The pillow over Booth's head moved up and down.

"I figured as much. I met Angela for an early breakfast and she said Hodgins is in the same condition. Zach, at least, will be all right."

"What makes you so sure?" His muffled voice asked.

Brennan raised an eyebrow in question. "I don't understand."

Booth pulled the pillow off his face, squinting against the bright light.

"Zach's probably got a hangover too, and it's probably worse than mine and Hodgins' put together."

Brennan sighed and gave him a Look. "You got Zach drunk?!"

"_I_ didn't do anything. It was all Hodgins."

Brennan walked over to the bed, leaned over it and kissed his forehead. "Go take something for your head, and get in the shower. You need to get your day started."

"Speaking of my day, what day is it?"

"It's Thursday."

Booth sat upright quickly; a little too quickly as he grabbed his head. Brennan dug around in her bag and came back with aspirin and a cup of water. He took it gratefully, and when he'd swallowed the pills, he looked back up at her.

"Thursday?"

"Thursday."

"Crap. What time is it?"

"It's almost 11. Why?"

"It's a surprise." He climbed out of bed and headed for the bathroom. "Get dressed. Something casual. And pack that amazing bathing suit too. You'll need it."

Brennan narrowed her eyes and moved to her suitcase, wondering what in the world he had planned. She heard water running in the bathroom, and a thought hit her. Booth was in the shower. Naked. Oh, no. If she was thinking like this, it meant that bimbo Temperance was making another appearance. Bold Temperance showed her face as well, as another thought popped in her head.

Maybe she should join him. Her normal side was nowhere to be found in this instance, so she opened the bathroom door silently, shed the towel around her and the one on her head, and without warning, pulled the shower curtain back and climbed in.

Booth jumped as she joined him under the water spray.

"Don't do that to me Bones! A little warning would have been nice."

"Consider this my surprise then," bold Temperance said in a lustful tone of voice.

"And it's a very nice one, but didn't you just get out of the shower?"

"I did, but I think I missed a spot. Maybe you could help me?" Her normal side, finally deciding to make itself known, at least on the inside, cringed at these words. It sounded like bimbo and bold Temperance had joined forces. Not a good sign. Booth, however, seemed to like this often hidden side of her. She felt his hands on either side of her abdomen and closed her eyes as he leaned down to kiss her.

"I think we could work something out."

She smiled when they broke the kiss. Maybe this had been a good idea after all.

"You're feeling better then?" she asked.

"Much better." His hands moved lower on her body and she gasped in anticipation of what was to come.

Once they were out of the shower and dressed, Booth headed to Hodgins and Angela's room, knocking on the door. No answer. He kept up the knocking until, finally, it was wrenched open by a very hung over Hodgins.

"What? God, every knock feels like there's a herd of stampeding elephants going across my face."

"I need a favor."

"Again, what?"

"Can I borrow the Corvette? Just for today. Please."

A grin formed on Hodgins' lips despite the pain in his head. He thought of the Corvette, still damp even with the past couple of days being full of sunshine, and the constant reminder that Zach had been sick in it-the smell.

"Sure you can borrow it." He left the doorway and returned a moment later with the keys to the car. "Here ya go, and have fun!"

Booth was slightly put off by the grin on Hodgins' face but he shrugged it off, calling Hodgins back as he went to shut the door.

"Hodgins?"

"Yea?"

"I don't love you."

"I should hope not. See ya around." He shut the door and Booth silently thanked god that Hodgins couldn't recall the previous night. But could Zach?

Despite the time crunch, Booth knocked on the door to his and Zach's room. It was opened on the second knock, revealing Zach, dressed and looking none the worse for wear.

"Can I assist you with something Agent Booth?"

Booth was taken aback for a moment by Zach's apparent lack of a hangover. He recovered quickly and asked his question.

"Do you remember anything about last night?"

"I remember going to the bar with you and Hodgins for Shirley Temples, and then being in bed with Dr. Brennan for a couple minutes before you dragged me out and put me in the right room. Everything else is sort of a blur, which confuses me because I'm usually very good at recalling events."

"Great! Just for the record though, I don't love you."

Zach's eyes narrowed in confusion. "I know. You barely even like me. It would be illogical for me to think that you love me."

"Exactly. Think about that if anything else from last night comes back to you."

"I will." He shut the door slowly, then climbed back on the bed with his laptop. It was 11 and Hodgins hadn't come knocking at his door with another death trap of an activity. He could work on his doctorate in peace today.

Booth returned to the room he now shared with Brennan, finding her ready to go with a canvas bag under her arm, containing both their bathing suits.

"I'm ready to go wherever it is we're going," she informed him with a grin. He grinned back and kissed her.

"What was that for?"

"I felt like it. Plus, my greeting to you this morning wasn't the best."

"That's ok. I'm glad you had fun on your boys night out."

"Yea, I suppose it was fun. Never thought I'd have fun with Hodgins and Zach though."

She gave him a long, lingering kiss, then headed to the door. "Come on. I don't wanna be late for whatever it is."

They left the motel and Booth led her to the Corvette.

"This isn't the car we rented."

"No, it isn't. Hodgins let me borrow it for today. I get to be cool for a day." He smiled, sliding his sunglasses on his face, and climbing into the driver's seat. There was a pause, then he said, "The seat's damp."

Brennan climbed into the passenger seat. "This side's damp too. But most likely it's less damp than your seat. Since it seems to bother you so much, maybe I should drive."

"Nice try Bones. But there's no way you're taking the chance to drive this car away from me."

"Why?"

"Ok, you want a rational argument, fine. One, you have no idea where we're going, and two, you have no idea how damp my seat is compared to yours."

Brennan sighed in defeat, then sniffed. "What's that smell?"

**A/N: Hope you liked it!! As always, I love to hear your comments…as long as they're good. I'm so sensitive. Every flame I get for any of my fics is like a slap in the face. Grrr. Anyways, I'll try and keep future updates more timely in future just cause I know it's torture to wait sometimes. Thanks for reading!**


	17. Tanner

**A/N: Ok, here we go! You finally get to find out about the surprise Booth had planned for Brennan! Hope you like it! Enjoy!!**

**Chapter 17: Tanner**

"Are we there yet?" Brennan asked.

"For the 17th time, Bones, no, we're not there yet," Booth replied with a grin. She was excited, he knew it, and it made him feel good, that he could bring out the fun loving little girl side of her. And the best part was, she had no idea where they going.

He handed her a blindfold. "Here, put this on."

She took the lavender sleep mask from him. "Did you get this from Angela?"

"Zach, actually. He had it in his bag. I grabbed it yesterday."

"That was mean."

"I don't want you to see where we're going until we're there, now put it on."

She did so. Booth glanced at the Corvette's digital clock and sighed. They were going to miss their time slot. They travelled through a town and when they were at a stoplight, Booth reached into his pocket and pulled out the piece of paper he'd taken away from Zach the other night.

He pulled out his phone and dialed the number written there. When he got an answer he gave his name and the time they were supposed to be there, telling the person on the other end that they might be late.

"Are we there yet?"

"No, Bones, but we're close."

He was thoroughly enjoying driving the car, despite the dampness and that smell. In fact, if they weren't so close to being late, he would've taken a more scenic route.

Finally, they arrived, and Booth was relieved to see that they were right on time.

"Ok, we're here."

"So, I can take the blindfold off?"

"Yep." He watched her carefully as she pulled it off, a gasp escaping her lips.

"The Dolphin Research Center?! Oh, Booth, this is perfect!" Without thinking, she flung her arms around his neck, pulled away from him just as fast, got out of the car, and scurried to the entrance.

Booth remained in the car for a moment, watching her. His Bones didn't scurry, but there she was. He felt a smile come to his lips and he climbed out of the car and followed her to the front entrance.

She was looking everywhere at once, and she reminded Booth of Parker whenever they went to a toy store. Her smile brightened up the already sunny day, and he hoped it wouldn't leave her face for the remainder of the day.

"Oh, I want to see the research projects they're working on!" she cried, pulling his hand towards the main building.

"Whoa, slow down there! You gotta go get changed."

She looked at him, still smiling. "Already?"

"Well, yea, we got a dolphin encounter in about five minutes."

The smile vanished from her face, and she peered at him, her eyes carefully searching his.

"Are you serious?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

She pulled him to her for a long kiss, oblivious of the people around them. When they parted, her smile had returned. "Thank you," she said, her voice filled with emotion. And with that, she turned on her heel, and trotted to the restrooms to change, a bounce in her step.

It was another Bones movement that was basically foreign to him. He watched her again, before taking off after her to collect his own bathing suit. She changed in record time, coming out into the open before him. When he came out, she was tapping her foot in anticipation, the smile still present on her face. She saw him, and ran over to collect him.

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Zach was furiously typing on his laptop back in the hotel room when there was a knock on the door. He knew that today was the day Booth was supposed to take Brennan to see the dolphins, which meant that it had to be Hodgins. He heaved a sigh and got off the bed, wondering what he had planned for him next. Maybe free falling from a ridiculous height onto a small mattress? He opened the door to see a miserable looking Hodgins leaning against the wall.

His mood didn't improve when he saw Zach.

"What the hell is up with you?" he asked.

Zach was confused. "I'm not sure I know what you mean."

"Why aren't you hung over and miserable?"

"Why would I be? I don't drink."

Hodgins laughed weakly. "Oh, but you did. Last night. With me and Booth."

"I'm pretty sure I'd remember if I did. I had some Shirley Temples, quite a few in fact."

"Whatever. I'm not gonna debate this with you all day. I need drugs."

Zach's eyes narrowed. "What?"

"Drugs! For my head! I think I'm dying!"

"You don't have any?"

"Obviously I ran out, or I wouldn't be here! Make with the pills!"

Zach disappeared into the room and returned with a bottle of aspirin which Hodgins snatched out of his hand.

"Thank you!" And with those words, he went back to his room. Zach closed the door and sat back on the bed, trying to piece together more of the previous night. There were clearly some things he wasn't remembering.

As he thought, he recalled Booth coming to his door that morning, and telling him that he didn't love him. Why would he say that? Hodgins had drunk a lot. Perhaps Booth had as well. It would explain that morning's statement. But, he didn't drink. He'd never. He thought some more. He 

remembered ending up in the wrong room with Dr. Brennan. Why would he have gone in the wrong room? He wouldn't have…unless…

"Oh, my god!"

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Brennan was having the time of her life. She and Booth had been directed to a dock and introduced to some of the dolphin pod that lived at the research center. From there, they had gotten in the water, and were able to interact with the dolphins. Brennan ran her hand down the side of one that the caretaker had introduced as Tanner. They felt so wonderful, like smooth rubber. And so much larger up close.

She felt an immediate connection with the young dolphin; why exactly she couldn't say. She rubbed his head, and he chattered at her, even splashing her. She laughed and brought her hands up to shield her face. It was all so amazing. She looked over and caught Booth's eye. He hadn't stopped watching her all day. He'd seen her laugh, and it brought about a look in his eyes that she hadn't really seen until just then. It made her look away and concentrate on Tanner.

She'd have to tell Angela about it, and get her opinion later. She reached up and grabbed Tanner's dorsal fin, her breath catching in her throat as the dolphin took off, swimming gracefully through the water, pulling her along behind him. The experience quickly became one of the top ten things she'd ever done in her life.

When Tanner brought her back, she observed Booth with a female dolphin named Pandora. They were both floating around on their backs, just relaxing and being lazy. She grinned at him, glad he was having a good time.

"Hey Booth!" she called to him.

"Yea?"

"Find a new girlfriend, did you?" she teased. She clapped a hand to her mouth as soon as the words had left her mouth. She had just implied that she was his girlfriend! Oh, this was all bimbo Temperance's fault. Or was it? She thought, petting Tanner. Wasn't she his girlfriend? Weren't they together? A couple?

She looked over at him again. He was floating her way, Pandora at his side.

"Having a good time?" he asked her as he went past, running his hand over the dolphin's belly.

"The best," she replied, coming to a decision. Yes, they were a couple. They must be. They fit the definition of a couple, after all. She went for another ride with Tanner, and then their time was up. They climbed out of the water onto the dock, gratefully accepting the towels offered to them.

From there, they went through the research center, and met the research scientists. Brennan asked about a million questions, and they answered each one. Booth followed along, finding the whole thing slightly less interesting than she did. But it didn't matter. The smile stayed on her face, and that was all that mattered to him. After seeing her with Tanner, he had one more surprise up his sleeve.

When Brennan was all out of questions, they thanked the scientists for their time, and headed back out into the sunshine. "I got one more thing for ya, Bones," he informed her.

"There's more?! Booth, today was perfect! I don't see how it could any better."

"You are now a member of the DRC, and you have also adopted Tanner."

Her mouth fell open. "Really?"

"Absolutely." He reached into her bag, which he'd been carrying and gave her a photo of her and Tanner, along with information on the dolphin. "You get free passes for five for a year, and you're paying for one of Tanner's meals every month."

"And you mean that literally, too, because you've spent enough money on me today." She kissed him again. "Thank you so much for today. It was just wonderful."

"Glad you liked it Bones."

"Liked it? I loved it! And we get to go back? We can bring Angela, Zach, and Hodgins next time! Oh, and Parker too! We can just pay for him since the pass is only for five!" She walked away from him, already making plans for next time. He followed her back to the Corvette, and handed her the keys.

"You mean it?" she asked, her smile rivaling the setting sun.

"I mean it. This is your day."

She gave him a huge hug, and hopped in the driver's seat, peeling out of the parking lot the second his door was shut. She couldn't wait to get him back to their room to further show her appreciation for the great day.

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When Hodgins finally awoke, it was after dark. He turned around. Angela was sitting up in bed, reading by the light of the bedside lamp.

"Hey, feeling better?"

"Yes, finally. Remind me to never drink again."

"I will, but we both know it won't stick." She grinned and gave him a kiss.

He chuckled. "I guess you're right. I wonder how Booth enjoyed the 'Vette today."

"You let him take Bren out in that wet, smelly car?"

"He asked to borrow it, and I, being the great guy that I am, let him. What have you been up to today?"

"I got some major clothes shopping done. Hey, do you hear something?" She strained her ears. There were sounds coming through the wall of their room.

"Yea. Don't worry, I'll take care of it. I gotta get up anyway." He crawled out of bed, grateful that his head felt almost normal. He crossed to the room and banged his hand on the wall.

"Hey, Brennan, Booth! Keep it down!!"

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed it! I love writing this fic! It's winding down though, but we still have a few chaps left! Thanks for reading!!**


	18. breakfast interpretations

**A/N: I haven't updated in…well, in a long time, so I figured I should. Maybe I'm subconsciously trying to draw it all out longer, since we're in the home stretch now. Whatever the reason, here's your update. Enjoy!!**

**Chapter 18: breakfast interpretations**

The next morning, Zach woke up to a pounding on his door. He rolled over and glanced at the bedside clock. It was six a.m. About time he got up anyway. Still, he had a sinking feeling that Hodgins was on the other side of the door, and that he would be fully recovered and ready to continue making his life a living hell. Maybe they'd go shark diving today.

He climbed out of bed and stumbled to the door, opening it and rubbing his eyes. His fears were confirmed as a smiling Hodgins greeted him.

"Morning! C'mon, let's get going! Wait, you're not leaving the hotel dressed like that, are you?" He gestured at Zach's pajamas.

Zach yawned. "I was unaware that I was leaving the hotel today."

Hodgins sniffed. "Well, you are. Get back in there and get ready. Ange and I will meet you in the lobby."

Zach was about to protest, but Hodgins was already gone. He sighed and shut the door.

Hodgins went to his room, chuckling evilly. He opened the door, where Angela was putting the finishing touches on her makeup. "Wait until Zach sees what I have planned for him today!"

"You're being too evil. How about you guys just do something relaxing today?"

"What about you? Aren't you hanging with us?"

"You know I would Jack, but there are some art galleries around here I wanna check out. I took a bus yesterday to go shopping and it was all right, so I thought I'd take it again and you two can have the car."

"You sure you don't want company?"

"If your goal is to give Zach a heart attack, then I don't think an art gallery would do it. Besides I know you get bored; don't try to deny it."

"Something relaxing with Zach huh? I was gonna take him for a helicopter tour followed by parasailing. That's relaxing, right?"

Angela bit her lip. "Not so much. How about golf?"

"Golf?"

"Yea, it's relaxing, and maybe something Zach can do. He might enjoy being on solid ground for once."

"Fine, golf it is. How much longer you gonna be here?"

"The galleries open at eight, so I'll probably leave here at 7:30 or so."

"I'll see you later then. Have fun." He kissed her good-bye and headed for the lobby to wait for Zach.

After he'd left, Angela sighed. She felt sorry for Zach sometimes. Hopefully, the golfing would go well. However, knowing Jack, there was no way to know for sure. She checked herself in the mirror one last time, and was about to head to Brennan's room to see if she (and Booth, she thought excitedly) wanted to join her for breakfast.

Her hand was on the doorknob when suddenly she heard a fist pound lightly on the other side. She opened it to reveal Brennan. "Good morning Ange."

"Hey, what's up? Where's Booth?"

"He's still sleeping. We have to go to the morgue later and get Crosby and Wilson off the case and interrogate them. And I need to check the remains for signs of homicide."

"You came here to tell me that?"

"No, I needed to ask you something."

Angela brightened. If Brennan needed to ask her something, then it had to do with her relationship with Booth.

"Sure thing sweetie. Let's go grab some breakfast."

They went down to the hotel restaurant and ordered coffee to start with.

"Ok, so spill, what's your question?"

"Hold on," Brennan said, taking a sip of coffee and perusing the breakfast menu. Angela tapped her nails on the table, trying to be patient. Their waiter came back and took their breakfast order, and Angela leaned in.

"Bren?"

"Yesterday, Booth took me to the Dolphin Research Center. It was the most amazing day I've had in a long time." She stopped there, waiting for a response to what she'd said thus far.

"That's great! You deserve to have a day of fun."

"Yea, it was wonderful. He even bought me a membership. I get 5 free passes for a year. I thought we could all come back down here with Parker sometime and use them. I'll want to see the dolphin I adopted." A smile lit her face as she thought of Tanner.

"You adopted a dolphin? That's neat!"

"Well, technically, Booth adopted him for me."

"That would be great, all of us going. Maybe even Zach would have fun there. At least he'll learn stuff. He likes that. Now, I'm thrilled that you had a good time and it seems like your relationship is really taking off, especially if that racket Jack and I heard last night is any indication!"

Brennan flushed and cleared her throat. "I didn't realize you guys could hear. And then Hodgins banged on the wall and…"

"Don't worry about it, really. I can't imagine some of the things _my_ neighbors have heard over the years. Besides, better to hear that than to hear arguing."

"Thanks, Ange. Now, my question. While we were there, he was watching me, which is nothing strange in and of itself, but this look was different. There was something in his eyes I don't recall having seen before. What was it?"

Angela thought for a moment. "I can guess as to what it was, but without actually seeing it, I can't give you anything concrete."

"Well, I can try to do it myself I suppose, if that would help."

Angela nodded, and Brennan pictured the look in her mind, and attempted to recreate it on her own face and in her own eyes. Angela watched giggling as Brennan ran through about a dozen different expressions, none of which seemed to be the right one.

"Want a mirror?"

"Yes please."

Angela handed over her compact and Brennan gazed at her reflection and finally got the right look, both in expression and eyes. She closed the compact and looked at Angela. "This was it, or as close as I can get."

Angela's eyes widened and her mouth opened. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. What does it mean?"

Angela's open mouth grew into a dazzling smile. "He loves you Bren."

"What? No, that's crazy," she denied the possibility immediately.

"Well, if that was the look, then that's the interpretation."

"Could you be mistaken?"

"Nope. I'm never off about these things. The man is in love. With you."

Brennan continued sipping at her coffee, her mind going a million miles an hour, her food forgotten. She jumped in her seat as she felt a soft pressure on the top of her head. It was Booth, kissing her.

He said good morning to both women and asked to join them.

Angela beamed at him. "Of course. Have a seat." He sat with them and got his own coffee. He noticed Brennan wasn't touching her breakfast.

"You gonna eat that?"

"I don't think so. Help yourself."

He brought her plate over to himself and munched on her toast, periodically offering her the plate back. She refused politely each time. She just wasn't hungry anymore.

After they were all finished, Angela excused herself and headed off to catch the bus for the art galleries. Booth looked at Brennan. She seemed a little off.

"Bones, are you ok?"

"I'm fine. It's just Angela and I were talking and…," she trailed off, not wanting to have this conversation here and now. Her normal side was manifesting itself through her reaction to Angela's words. Normal Temperance was shocked. Bimbo Temperance was ecstatic, and Bold Temperance was dying to call him on it and confess feelings of love for him. Fortunately, the latter two were in hiding. "Never mind, it's not important."

"Ready to go to the morgue? I'm tellin' ya Bones, if that receptionist says anything about waiting another couple of days, I'm gonna scream."

"At the very least, if the remains are back, I can conduct my investigation. I saw Hodgins and Zach leave a little while ago, so I'm on my own again. Still, it shouldn't take too long hopefully. 

All I have to do is…" She stopped as she realized she was starting to ramble. Bimbo Temperance was trying to make a comeback. It would probably be best if she didn't say anything for awhile.

"Ok, let's hit the road." He stood up and she followed suit, unable to hide the smile that came to her face as he slung an arm around her shoulders. She turned and gave him a peck on the cheek as they headed to the door. Perhaps Angela was wrong. And she hadn't noticed that same look in his eyes since yesterday. It was most likely a fluke.

She nodded her head resolutely, and allowed her normal side to shift into business mode as they made the drive to the morgue.

**A/N: Hmm, that breakfast scene stretched out longer than I'd originally intended. Which, if you like this fic, is a good thing, cause it means an extra chap! Hope you liked it and thanks for reading!**


	19. caught

**A/N: Have I told you all how wonderful you are? Well, you are. Plain and simple. I wouldn't have made it past chapter 1 if it hadn't been for all of you and your wonderful comments. We're getting into a bit more of the case element here, which I absolutely suck at, so bear with me. It's hard to think of that sort of thing, and to everyone who puts cases in their fics, my hat goes off to you! Enjoy!!**

**Chapter 19: Caught**

"Where are we going?"

"I'm not telling you man. I told you that the last time you asked," Hodgins said, growing frustrated at Zach's attempts to glean information.

"I just want to prepare myself."

"We're doing something _relaxing_ today."

"Relaxing for whom? You?"

"Hopefully for us both. Now shut up!"

He pulled into the parking lot of the golf course, and Zach's eyes narrowed suspiciously. Hodgins wondered why until he noticed that there was a spot for bungee jumping not too far away.

"We're not going bungee jumping…today. We're hitting the golf course. Now, come on."

Zach relaxed slightly. He couldn't golf very well, but at least he'd be on solid ground. He followed Hodgins into the clubhouse to get some clubs and golf balls.

"What do you mean we're not going bungee jumping _today_?"

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Booth and Brennan parked in front of the morgue and both stayed in the car, not moving. Brennan didn't know why he wasn't moving, but she knew why she wasn't. Despite trying to concentrate on business, she had spent the better part of the trip trying to make up her mind about Booth.

Even though she hadn't seen the look since that day at the research center, she was becoming more and more convinced that it was more than just a fluke. She recalled words that Angela had spoken to her awhile ago, regarding love.

She couldn't remember how they'd gotten on the subject, but she could remember her friend saying that once you fell in love with someone, _really_ fell in love with them, you couldn't just stop at a moment's notice. It wasn't something that could be turned on and off like a faucet, she had said.

Staring out the window at the landscape beyond the highway, she had then gone over her options. She could let him know that she knew how he felt and that she felt the same, as Bold 

Temperance wanted. Or she could keep everything to herself and let things continue as they had been. Option two would have been all right, except she had a feeling that she'd explode if she kept it all inside for too long. She looked over at him. He was thinking. Whether it was about her, or about the case, she couldn't tell.

Now, here they were, in the parking lot. The silence was becoming oppressive. She broke it.

"Do you have your gun?" she blurted out. He looked over at her then, his sunglasses obscuring his eyes from her view. His expression told of amusement however, and if she knew him, it would have carried into his eyes as well.

"What is it with you and weapons? No, I don't. I'm on vacation remember? No involvement."

She was flabbergasted. "You should still bring it with you Booth. You never know when you might need it."

"I thought we'd come down here, you'd help with the ID, and then it'd be booze and the beach for the rest of the week. I didn't see any of this coming."

Even as he said all of this, he looked a bit uneasy about the whole thing. It reminded Brennan of exactly how much confidence a gun could give in a situation like this.

"It'll be ok. We'll just go in. You'll talk to them, I'll examine the bones. And that'll be it. If any more needs to be done, we'll hand it over to the Miami office, all right?"

Her attempt to reassure looked to be successful until she mentioned handing off the case. She knew why he wouldn't want to do that. He'd waited so long to get involved and he wasn't prepared to let it go. But, if they had to, they had to.

Finally, he got out of the car. "Let's go."

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Zach and Hodgins hit the first hole, Hodgins driving the golf cart they'd rented. He went first, showing Zach which club to use and what his stance should look like. He swung the driver, and watched as the ball sailed down the fairway.

"Not bad," he mumbled. "Ok Zach, go for it."

It took about five minutes for Zach to get the correct grip on the club and the right stance. He swung awkwardly, missing the tee by a mile and nearly whacking Hodgins in the head.

"I apologize."

"Forget about it. I'll just stand clear over here. Try again." Hodgins moved over to the side. "Don't forget to follow through."

"All right. I can do this," he spoke to himself, taking a few deep breaths to steady himself. So far, golf wasn't proving to be all that relaxing. After four more tries, he finally hit the ball. It didn't go very far at all, but Zach was thrilled that he'd hit it. They drove the cart to where Hodgins' ball had fallen, passing Zach's on the way.

"Maybe we should have played miniature golf," Hodgins said aloud.

"I used to play that with my family a lot. I was quite good. My favorite was always the one with the small windmill. You had calculate the timing perfectly, otherwise the blades would knock your ball away from the hole."

They got out and Hodgins took his shot. The ball flew onto the green and landed nine feet from the hole. They went back to Zach's ball, and Hodgins stood well out of the way.

Zach swung and followed through as Hodgins had told him, but he had used a little too much force. The club flew out of his hands and spun into the nearby parking lot, smashing into an expensive looking BMW.

Zach's eyes widened in horror, and he froze, his mouth hanging open in surprise. Hodgins snapped him out of it. "Into the golf cart! Let's get the hell outta here!" He shoved Zach roughly into the cart and sped off towards the parking lot and the Corvette.

They got into the car as fast they could, and Hodgins peeled out. When they stopped again, Zach's heart came up into his throat as he realized they were at the nearby bungee jumping station.

"I thought we weren't doing this today!"

"Change of plans. If you wanted to keep golfing, you shouldn't have smashed that car." Hodgins got out of the car and pulled Zach out as well.

He paid for them both, and before Zach knew it, he was strapped in to the bungee cord and looking down from a ridiculous height, Hodgins beside him. "You go first Zach."

"Can't we talk about this first?"

"No. Go."

"But…"

Hodgins cut him off. "Jump, or I'll push you. Be a man Zach. You can't be afraid of this. Tame your fear; don't let it rule you."

Zach took a deep breath and prepared himself for some sort of cardiac episode. He closed his eyes and jumped, screaming all the way down. The cord grew taut and he bounced back up, the warbled scream still coming from his throat.

He came back up, breathing heavily and glaring at Hodgins, who was grinning from ear to ear.

"See, that wasn't so bad was it?"

It had been, but Zach was too winded to form any coherent words. He sat on the ground to recover, resisting the urge to kiss it out of sheer relief. Hodgins shrugged and without another word, jumped. It was exhilarating. He'd done it before, and was certain that he would never tire of it. However, this particular experience wasn't like anything he'd done previously. The jump itself was fine; it was what happened afterward.

When he came back up he was surprised to find Zach with two cops and a man in an expensive but ridiculous looking golf outfit. He groaned inwardly, and slapped a smile on his face.

"Officers, how can I help you?"

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Angela was browsing a sculpture collection in the third gallery she'd visited. She was having fun, but she couldn't help but feel a little lonely. Maybe she should've let Jack and Zach come with her. She shook her head. No, Jack would've gotten bored. They'd visited an art gallery together before and Angela had vowed never again. Still…she did miss him. She'd have to make it up to him that night. It sounded like they wouldn't be in the Keys much longer, depending on how Booth and Brennan's case went.

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Upon entering the morgue, Booth approached the receptionist's desk with mild trepidation. He was half convinced that she'd tell them they had to wait even longer. He wasn't sure he could deal with that.

Fortunately, she didn't. She directed them to the room where Brennan had initially examined the remains, also telling them that Wilson and Crosby were present in the morgue as well, although she didn't know where in the building they were.

They headed down the hallway and when Booth opened the door, they stopped short. The room was empty. Brennan went back to the receptionist's desk.

"Excuse me, but I think you told us the wrong room. The remains aren't there."

She looked up at Brennan, her gum smacking in her mouth as she thought. "No, room should be correct. The local forensics team delivered the bones this morning. That's where they put them."

Brennan made her way back to the room to share this latest development with Booth. He immediately suspected Wilson and Crosby.

"Don't jump to conclusions Booth. They still might be in another room, or maybe just put away somewhere in here. The receptionist could still be mistaken, no matter how certain she thinks she is."

"I'm gonna go find Wilson and Crosby. You stay here and look for the remains."

Brennan nodded. Booth left and she began checking drawers, and, when she didn't recover the remains, she went into the next room to look there as well. She was bending over a drawer and rummaging through it, so she didn't hear when footsteps sounded behind her. She heard a loud clunk and in the same instant, everything went black.

Booth was going from room to room, checking for Wilson and Crosby. So far, he hadn't had any luck. He was about ready to check another room when he heard footfalls behind him on the tiled floor. He whirled around and had just enough time to see a large object being swung at his head. His reaction time, for whatever reason, was delayed, and the thing collided with his skull, his vision fading away to black.

**A/N: Does this count as a cliffie? If it does…oopsie. chuckles wickedly Sorry, really. I'm not too fond of cliffies myself, so I'll try and update soon, ok? Thanks for reading!!**


	20. captives

**A/N: I hope I didn't keep you all waiting too long for this. I broke 200 reviews!! Thank you all so much!! We're looking at roughly 3 more chaps for this fic. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 20: captives**

"My rights have been violated!" Hodgins called out to the guard sitting at the desk across from the jail cell he and Zach found themselves in. Zach was huddled up in the corner, silent, but Hodgins was pacing back and forth in front of the bars like a caged wolf.

The guard looked at him and heaved an irritated sigh. "What is it now?"

"My phone call! I am entitled to one phone call, and I haven't gotten it yet! This is an outrage; I'm contacting the justice department! I have a friend in the FBI! I might sue!"

The guard handed a cell phone through the bars to Hodgins. "Here, it's on me. Just make your damn call and shut up!" He had been listening to this guy yak non-stop since he and his friend had been brought in. He'd been practically dragged in to the station by two street cops, yelling and claiming police brutality. The other guy had remained silent and pale, trying to make himself as small as possible. The guard almost felt sorry for him.

"This is more like it. Don't worry Zach, I'll call Angela and she'll come and bail us out."

Zach nodded numbly, and swallowed. The man had initially opted to not press charges after Hodgins had offered to pay for the damages, but had insisted they get charged and spend some time in the jail to cool off after Hodgins had slugged him in the face. The punch had resulted from Hodgins' claim that the man wanted way more than what the car was worth, and the man's argument to the contrary.

Now, here they were, in a cold, empty cell, and Zach found himself with a police record. He was more bothered by that fact than Hodgins seemed to be. Hodgins dialed in Angela's number and waited, tapping his foot impatiently. When the call went to voice mail, he left a message.

"Angie, it's me. Zach and I kind of got into a bit of trouble. We're at the jail. It's over on third. Don't worry, it's nothing big. Just some assault and resisting arrest on my part, and destruction of property on Zach's. Our bail's at two grand. Please come as soon as you get this. Thanks…and I love you."

He hung up and looked at Zach. "Now we wait." He handed the guard the phone, and then a thought hit him. "Hey, give that back. Zach gets a phone call too." He figured Zach might be able to get hold of Brennan.

"No way. That's all you get."

"Hey! That's another violation of my rights! You people are so gonna hear from my lawyer!"

"Actually, it's a violation of _my _rights," Zach mumbled from the corner. Hodgins ignored him and continued his rant.

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Angela was at an art gallery that stayed open late. She was browsing through a collection and chatting to a local artist about shadowing and light positioning techniques. She was having such a good time. She glanced at her watch. It was getting late, but she figured Hodgins would keep Zach busy late and Booth and Brennan were probably enjoying some alone time after working on their case. She was correct, in a way, on both counts. Her cell phone remained in her purse, shut off as the signs in the gallery asked.

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Brennan woke up slowly with a throbbing pain in the back of her head. She tried to move, only to find that she couldn't. She leaned back and hit something solid. Booth. They were tied up on a 

floor, back to back. She opened her eyes and looked around as much as the ache in her head would allow. They were in what appeared to be the basement of the morgue. It was dark but she could just make out the outline of a water heater and an incinerator.

"Booth?"

"I'm here Bones."

"You ok?"

"I'm as good as can be expected. I think we're in the basement of the morgue. How are you doing?"

"I'm all right. I figured that was where we were. This is another reason why I should have a gun."

He leaned his head back until it hit hers with a small cracking noise.

"Ow!"

"Sorry Bones. I'm guessing they snuck up on you, in which case a gun wouldn't have done much good, and they would have taken it away from you anyway."

"Even so, I hope this incident will make you rethink things."

"Nope. No gun for you."

Brennan blew a breath upward to move a strand of hair out of her face. She writhed around a bit trying to see if the ropes would loosen, but only ended up with rope burn on her wrists. Behind her, Booth was doing the same. Giving up, Brennan leaned her back against his. "Hey Booth?"

"Yea?"

"Despite this not being the ideal situation, I have something I need to say."

"Shoot."

"I've come to a conclusion regarding our relationship. I think, no wait, I know, that I…"

She was cut off by the door to the basement opening and closing and a light being switched on. They blinked against the sudden intrusion of light from above, and Brennan, who was facing the door, saw Wilson and Crosby there with what looked to be a security guard.

"About time you two woke up," Wilson said with grin that was anything but warm.

"What the hell is going on?" Booth asked.

"Shouldn't that be obvious? You _are_ FBI after all. I thought you people were supposed to figure things out," she said derisively.

"Well, I know you and Crosby had something to do with Adrian Riker's death."

"More than something; we did it," Crosby said.

"And we got rid of the remains, knowing that you two were on our tail," Wilson finished.

"How did you…Nadine." It was all coming together for Booth now. Nadine must have alerted her sister to what was going on. They had then disposed of the remains and gotten the drop on them.

Crosby smirked in Booth's direction. "Shouldn't have been so nosy Agent Booth."

"Why are you telling us all this? It'll only make it all that much easier to convict you," Brennan said, puzzled by the criminals' stupidity.

"Don't worry about us. We're getting the hell outta here. You two, on the other hand, aren't going anywhere. And don't bother yelling. No one will be able to hear you down here." Wilson gestured to the security guard on her other side. "This is John. He's the night guard. He's also on our payroll, as well as a guard on the day watch. He'll make sure you don't get out of here tonight."

With a final laugh at the two on the ground, she and Crosby turned and exited, John following.

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At nine o'clock that night the art gallery closed, and Angela stepped onto the bus to take her back to the hotel, a small bag filled with postcards clutched in her hand. Upon arriving, she was only mildly surprised to find the Corvette missing from the parking lot. She was slightly more concerned to discover the absence of the sedan as well. She entered her empty hotel room and tossed the bag and her purse on the bed.

She had been hoping Jack would be back by now. She'd had plans for them that night. She hoped he wouldn't be too exhausted upon his return. She sat on the bed and reached into her purse for her phone. Maybe she'd call him and find out when they'd be coming back. She checked her voice mail and listened to the message, her face going through a gamut of emotions as she listened. First worry, then amusement, followed by anger, and a twinge of sadness at the loss of the night she'd envisioned for them.

She grabbed her purse and went back out to see if she could catch a taxi to the jail.

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Hodgins' throat was itchy from all the complaining he'd done. He'd asked and been denied something to drink which had set him off yet again. Now, he was slouched on the floor next to Zach. The young man had fallen asleep and his head was nestled on Hodgins' shoulder. Where was Angela? He hoped she wasn't mad enough to let them rot in jail overnight.

The guard was ignoring him now, but had placed the cell keys on his desk in full view, just to annoy him. And it was working. He felt relief wash over him as he saw a determined Angela appear and stop in front of the guard's desk. He got to his feet quickly, causing Zach to fall over to the side.

"Angela! Am I happy to see you!"

She glared daggers at him, and continued speaking to the guard. They left for the front desk where the bail was paid, and finally, Hodgins and Zach were released. The BMW guy; neither could remember his name, had decided to drop charges, happy with the check Hodgins had written out to him and the fact that they had spent a few hours in jail. The three went out to the Corvette, and Angela snagged the keys from Hodgins' hand.

"_I _am driving. I think I've earned it seeing as how I'm the only one out of the three of us who has managed to stay on the right side of the law during this trip." She stuck a finger in Hodgins' chest. "_You_ will be in the back. Zach, you can ride shotgun, since I'm pretty sure this whole incident wasn't your fault."

They got in their assigned seats and went back to the hotel.

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"Bones?"

"mmhmm?"

"What were you going to say before?"

Oh, yea, she had been about to tell him how she felt. She collected her thoughts, and started again. "Regarding our relationship, I know that you love me, and, well, the feeling is mutual."

She had never thought she'd be good at declarations of love and she hadn't been wrong. She'd been expecting herself to say something a little more emotional, helped out by both Bold and Bimbo Temperances, but judging by what had just come out of her mouth, neither was around for consultation.

She could almost feel his expression behind her. Then she heard a chuckle of pure amusement.

"'The feeling is mutual?' Wow, Bones, talk about a heart-felt confession."

She sighed in aggravation. "What do you want me to say Booth? That was difficult enough as it is."

"I don't know. Just anything other than 'the feeling is mutual'."

"I don't really see what's wrong with my saying that. It conveys my feelings adequately."

"Well, although it seems redundant now, since you already know, I do love you Bones. You're the first thing I think of when I wake up and the last thing I think about at night. This trip has been great in that I've gotten to see a different side of you, and when we go back home, I don't want to give that up. I want to see you in the morning with bed hair and bags under your eyes. I want to wrap my arms around you every night, and although it might be selfish, I don't want to give up feeling how I do when I think of you, when I touch you, when I kiss you. And I hope all that's mutual as well."

He waited, unable to see her face. After what felt like an eternity, she spoke.

Show-off, she thought with a smile. "That was very nice," she said out loud.

"Thank you."

"And that feeling is mutual as well. I only hope we can get out of here."

"We'll think of something. I'd kiss you now, but, well, it's looking kind of impossible at the moment."

"That's ok. You owe me." Despite their situation, she couldn't keep the smile off her face.

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At eleven o'clock, Angela was pacing. "She hasn't even called. They wouldn't still be working on the case, would they? And if they were out somewhere, they'd still be back by now, right?"

Hodgins, too, looked worried. He and Zach were seated on the edge of the bed, watching Angela pace a rut in the carpet. "I think you're right. Where's the last place you knew they were going?"

"The morgue. Bren mentioned it at breakfast. What if something happened?" She wrung her hands worriedly.

"Maybe we should go out there, check it out," Hodgins suggested.

"By ourselves? I don't think so, Jack. Maybe we should call the police."

Hodgins thought of the smirking guard at the jail. "No way are we calling the cops!"

Zach piped up. "Wilson and Crosby, who were originally handling the case, are local police."

"That makes it worse! The entire force is probably corrupt. We're doing this on our own. Let's go!" He headed out of the room with Angela and Zach following behind. Once they reached the Corvette, Angela stopped him.

"Jack, wait! This could get dangerous. We don't have a gun or anything like that. We'll be defenseless."

Hodgins unlocked the trunk. "Not quite defenseless." He pulled something out and held it aloft.

"What the hell is that?" Angela asked.

"This is a conquistador sword! You weren't the only one who was able to squeeze in some shopping."

"We're going to go to the morgue at eleven at night, possibly facing two trained cops who might be holding our friends hostage, armed only with a damn conquistador sword?"

"Yep. It's sharp, if that's what you're worried about. Now, come on, let's get over there!" He leaped into the driver's seat, thrusting the sword in Zach's hands. The other two climbed in and they headed for the morgue.

**A/N: Bring on the action!! Hope you liked it. Let me know what you thought. Thanks, as always, for reading!!**


	21. rescue me

**A/N: I thought that since I had numerous fics in the works that I would update in order, but as it turns out, my mind had other ideas. The layout for the next chap in this fic presented itself, so here I am updating out of order! Funny how the mind works at times. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 21: rescue me**

Brennan gazed around the pitch black basement, searching yet again for something that would aid in their escape. She had heard her cell ring twice in the time they'd been down here and she figured it had been Angela both times.

This told her that their phones were in the basement somewhere, frustratingly out of reach. She finished her sweep of the room and concluded that nothing was there that hadn't been the previous times she'd looked.

Booth had been silent for awhile and when she felt his head lean heavily against hers she concluded that he'd fallen asleep. How was that even possible? They were tied up in a basement with what seemed like no hope of escape and he had fallen asleep?! She stretched her arms, still tied at the wrist, forward, and brought her elbow smashing into him. She achieved her desired response; he woke up.

"What the hell Bones?"

"How can you even think of taking a nap? We need to find a way out of this!"

"Find one yet?"

"No, but you could help."

"Sorry. I just don't see us getting out of here by anything other than luck."

"Well, someone has to come down here eventually who isn't being bribed by Crosby and Wilson."

"Would that be before or after we die?"

"What's with the pessimism, Booth?"

"I just feel like this is all my fault."

Brennan considered this for a moment. "Well…" She thought some more. "Perhaps not entirely."

"How do you figure? Like you said, I should've had my gun, or been more alert, or any number of other things."

"Other things like allowing me to have a weapon?"

"No, not that. I remain convinced that your having a gun wouldn't change a thing about this."

"So says you."

"Stop arguing with me! It's getting us nowhere." He wriggled around a bit, trying to ignore the growing stiffness in his arms and legs.

"You're right. I apologize." She leaned the back of her head against him in what she hoped would be construed as an affectionate manner. He returned it by leaning his head against her as well. They remained in that position for awhile until Booth broke the silence.

"This just sucks."

"Yes, yes it does. My phone has rung twice since we've been down here. I believe it was probably Angela. If they can't get hold of me, perhaps they'll call the police and file a missing persons report."

"I don't know about the cops here, Bones. I mean, Wilson and Crosby…"

"Don't jump to conclusions. Just because two of them are involved in crime doesn't mean the entire force is. You're starting to sound like Hodgins."

"Please don't say that. Sounding like Hodgins is a hop, skip, and jump away from sounding like Zach. I am _not_ going down that road."

"Well, we're not going to be doing much hopping, skipping, or jumping unless we figure out a way out of here. So, get thinking."

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Zach sat in the back of the Corvette, clutching the sword, as the car raced through town. What were they doing? What was _he _doing? He wanted to save his friends, but, well, perhaps they were going about it the incorrect way. When they arrived at the morgue, it was nearly midnight. They all climbed out, shutting doors silently. Zach passed Hodgins the sword and the three of them crept to the entrance.

On the way, Angela pointed out the sedan in the parking lot. "Well, we know they're here, and we know for sure that something's not right."

"Any idea how we're getting in here?" Zach asked. "I'm assuming they have an alarm system."

"There's gotta be a way," Hodgins muttered quietly. They circled the building, looking for any possible opening. Finally on the west side of the building, there was a window open. It was about eight feet above them though.

"Ok, Zach, come on, climb on up," Hodgins called him over.

"I cannot jump that high."

"On my shoulders!"

"Oh." He gave Zach a boost up on his shoulders.

"Dude, get up there, I can't hold you that long!"

"I'm trying!" Zach had both hands on the outside ledge and was trying to pull himself up. Hodgins finally couldn't hold him any longer and dropped down, leaving Zach hanging from the ledge.

"Help!" he called.

Angela came over and held her hands under his feet, supporting him. She heaved up; giving him the boost he needed to get through the window. They heard a small crash and then Zach appeared, looking down at them, rubbing a spot on his head.

"There's a table right below the window. I collided with it."

Hodgins called up as quietly as he could. "Who cares about the damn table? Where are you?"

Zach looked around the room he'd ended up in. "Bathroom."

"Well get out, and find the alarm system. See if you can bypass it."

Zach once again disappeared from view, and Angela and Hodgins went around to the front of the building and slumped near the door, hidden by shadow.

"Think we can get through this without getting injured?" Angela asked.

"Sure, I got my trusty conquistador sword. Everything'll be fine."

"Do you even know how to use that?"

"I know enough. I used to take fencing lessons."

"How long ago?"

"Not too long…ten years or so."

"Fantastic."

"Hey, it's like riding a bike. It'll all come back to me."

"Yea and what if they have guns Jack? Somehow I don't think that your sword is going to be able to stand up to a gun."

"We'll deal with it when it happens."

They sat in silence and then heard the door opening. "Hodgins? Angela?"

"Right here Z-man! Nice job!" Hodgins said. He and Angela got up and joined Zach in the front room of the morgue.

"I thought you should know there's a cup of hot coffee in the security station," Zach informed them.

"Which means there's a guard around here somewhere. Keep your eyes open," Hodgins said, looking at his companions, who both nodded. "Now, where would they be?"

"They could've put them in a closet, or in a locked room," Angela suggested, a worried look on her face as she thought of her friends.

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John the security guard was in the basement, looking down at his two captives. He circled them. Brennan was glaring at him, her eyes following his movements as much as she could. Booth wasn't doing much of anything, but looked deep in thought, planning their next move, if one existed. John crossed to the door of the basement and flicked off the lights, pulling out his flashlight. He shined it in Brennan's eyes, making her eyes water, but her gaze on him held.

"Stop looking at me!" It was creeping him out, and finally, he slapped her hard in the face. This got both of them straining at their bonds, and got him called a string of not-so-nice names by Booth. John rolled his eyes, and went around to the other side, aiming a kick at Booth's head.

It made contact, but he didn't even blink. Slightly taken aback by the lack of reaction and the murderous gleam that appeared in Booth's eyes, John hurriedly left the room. He knew they couldn't get out, and that was all the better for him.

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Angela, Hodgins, and Zach were moving about from room to room, calling to Booth and Brennan, checking each closet and looking for any sign of life, eyes peeled for the guard they knew to be lurking around.

"What about the basement?" Zach suggested. "It seems just as logical as a closet if not more so."

They began looking for a basement entrance, going down some stairs, and turning a corner, finding themselves face to face with John, who had just locked the door back up.

Angela tried a basic approach first, not knowing which side the guard was on. "We need to get into the basement. We think our friends might be down there. Can you let us in?"

John began to laugh, drawing the club he carried at his waist. "No one gets in the basement. Now, all of you get up those stairs and out front so I can call the cops. You're all under arrest for breaking and entering."

Hodgins and Angela shared a look. They were down there. They had to be. And the guard was a bad guy. Hodgins brandished the sword. "I am not going back to that jail! Stay back!" He waved it in John's face. The guard laughed.

"What the hell are you gonna do with that thing?"

"This," Hodgins hit him as hard as he could with the flat of the sword. John went down.

"Zach get the keys!"

"Why me?"

"Just do it!"

Zach took the club, putting it in his belt, fished the keys from John's waist, and began trying them in the lock. When he found the right one, they went single file inside. Zach spoke first.

"Dr. Brennan? Agent Booth?"

"Zach?" came Brennan's voice.

"Sweetie?" Angela flipped the light switch, and seeing no one else in the room, ran to her friend. She threw her arms around her, and hugged tight. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine." Angela looked at her face.

"Oh, god, who hit you?"

"The guard."

"Hey, I'm ok too, ya know, just in case anyone wanted to know," came Booth's voice behind Brennan. Angela smiled and went around to him, surprising him by hugging him as well.

"You got hurt too?"

"It's nothing, Angela."

"It is not nothing! My friends got hurt by that poor excuse for a guard! He's gonna pay for it!" The artist was livid.

Hodgins and Zach got started on the ropes, handing the sword off to Angela, and in no time, the two were free. They got up, stiff, and stretched.

"The guard's outside the door. Let's get him and get out of here," Hodgins said, taking the sword back.

A voice from the doorway made them all turn. "I don't think so."

John was standing there with a gun trained on them, pointing at each in turn. They put their hands up, Hodgins still clutching the sword.

"Drop the sword weirdo."

"I resent that!" Hodgins said indignantly, but dropped the sword. It clattered to the ground, landing on Zach's foot. He gave a yelp, and found himself looking down the gun's barrel.

"Shut up, all of you!" He moved the gun from one to the other again. "I should just kill you all now…starting with you." He aimed the gun at Brennan. "Any last words?"

**A/N: Now I'm just being cruel. I'm sorry but I have the last chapters ending at specific places, and that's where this one ends. Two more to go! I'll try very, very hard to update again tomorrow! Thanks for reading!**


	22. standoff

**A/N: I really am sorry for stopping it where I did, but here I am, updating the next day! Hopefully that makes up for the cliffie. Enjoy!!**

**Chapter 22: standoff**

Brennan swallowed down some choice words that probably would have gotten her killed a lot faster. She opened her mouth to speak, intending to say _something_, but was interrupted by Booth.

"So that's how it's gonna be?" He was directing his words at John and Brennan breathed a sigh of relief that caught in her throat as the gun trained on her…well what was he? Her boyfriend, she supposed. And her partner. Always her partner.

"What the hell are you talkin' about?"

"You. Look what you're doing? You think you're being a big man by shooting a woman first? I suppose she'll be next." He gestured at Angela.

Despite their grave predicament, Brennan felt her eyes narrow. "Booth…," she said quietly, annoyed at his sexist attitude. Bimbo Temperance stepped to the forefront then, telling her to shut her mouth. Booth was buying time, being the hero and trying to keep her from being shot. But, her normal self reminded Bimbo Temperance, she didn't want him to get shot either.

"Maybe I should just shoot you then; that what you're sayin?"

"Hey, you make the final call, but pickin' on defenseless women, that's low."

Brennan growled low in her chest. She was most certainly _not _defenseless. She knew why he was saying what he was saying, but still…

She noticed Booth catch Zach's eye, and looked at her assistant's belt. A club was hanging from it.

Zach noticed Booth catch his eye. He had seen Booth notice the club hanging from his belt earlier. He knew what he had to do, and he was scared to death that he wouldn't be able to do it. He had to wait for the right moment.

John appeared to be in thought. Then he said, "You know what, you're right. It is low." He moved the gun from Booth's heart up to his forehead. Zach heard the gun cock, and knew the moment had come.

As quickly as he could he grabbed the club and threw it with all his strength, hoping against hope that it would hit the intended target. It did, the club striking John in the side of the head. He reeled back and dropped the gun, then in the same breath lunged for it. He overstepped however, and kicked it. It went skittering across the floor, and Hodgins picked it up.

"Booth!" he called and tossed the gun across at Booth. He caught it and aimed at John, only to find that the man had pulled another firearm from an ankle holster and had it aimed at him. It was a standoff.

"Let them go," Booth said evenly, his eyes locked on John's. "You've got no business with them."

"The one who was with you, I do," John replied, referring to Brennan.

Booth's jaw tensed for a moment. "Get upstairs," he told the others, his eyes not moving. Wordlessly Angela, Hodgins, and Zach went slowly up the stairs, closing the door. Brennan didn't move.

"Bones, go!"

"Absolutely not! I am not leaving you down here with this man. He's obviously deranged and psychotic."

"Bones, don't make fun of the man with the gun, ok? Go upstairs, that's an order!"

Brennan's mouth formed an 'O' at his audacity. "You cannot order me around! I'll damn well stay if I want to."

"Shut up! Both of you! God, are you married or something?" John yelled; his gun still trained on Booth.

"No!" They answered together.

"Could have fooled me," John muttered.

"Why are you doing this? What are they paying you?" Brennan asked, curious as to why John thought keeping Wilson and Crosby safe was worth dying for.

"They're paying me plenty, plus they're my friends. They took care of me when I needed them. I owe them." A slight tremor went through his arm. Booth picked up on it, but didn't let on that he'd noticed.

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Upstairs, Angela, Zach, and Hodgins waited anxiously. Angela was wringing her hands with worry, Zach was mulling over their options, and Hodgins had his ear glued to the door, listening for gunshots.

"We could go back down there," Zach suggested.

Hodgins shook his head. "No, we can't. Any sudden movement and all hell could break loose down there. Distractions like us busting back in there are bad news."

Angela looked over at him. "You been present for a lot of standoffs Jack?"

He shrugged. "I've seen a lot of movies. Whenever a new presence enters the scene, someone gets shot."

"I wonder why Dr. Brennan didn't come up with us. I'm sure Agent Booth was addressing all of us when he told us to come up here," Zach said.

"She's standing by her man. It's very romantic. Dangerous, but romantic," Angela replied.

They continued waiting in silence; calling in reinforcements was out of the option, so there was nothing else they could really do.

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Brennan kept John talking, finding out that Wilson and Crosby were fleeing to Miami in order to plan their next move. She was trying to distract him, but the guy seemed to know how to handle a standoff; no distractions. His eyes never left Booth's, constantly searching for a window of weakness to take his shot, and always coming up empty.

"What did you do that you needed them to help you?" she asked.

"I got in some trouble with a certain illegal substance when I lived in Miami. They took care of it for me, made it go away, helped me start over down here. And now I'm returning the favor, making sure their troubles go away, so they can live in peace. I may not live through this, but at least my debt will be paid."

"How honorable of you," Booth said dryly.

"Hey, I got a moral code like anyone else. I make good on my debts."

"You kill me, there'll be hell to pay," Booth warned him.

The tension in the room was palpable, and ready to snap at any second. While John had been talking, Brennan had taken the opportunity to creep behind him. She located the club Zach had thrown, and waited in the darkness.

"I'm sure. Your little girlfriend will be pretty mad, huh?" John smirked.

"I'd be downright pissed off," Brennan's voice came from behind him. Before he could react to her voice, she swung the club at his head. It connected and he went down, the gun going off as he fell. Because of this, his aim was off, and the bullet missed Booth by a couple of feet.

They stood there, both breathing heavily for a moment. Just then John's hand shot out, grabbing Brennan's ankle, taking her down. She kicked out at him, her foot connecting with his shoulder. When he let her go, she instantly backed up, crawling backwards across the ground when she heard a gun cock.

Seeing John grab Brennan's ankle, Booth waited until she got loose and got out of the way. The second she was clear, he aimed a bullet directly into John's leg. The man cried out in pain, and grabbed his leg, writhing on the ground.

"Now, _stay down_!" Booth yelled at him, and looked over at Brennan. "You ok there Bones?"

She nodded, climbed to her feet, located their cell phones near where she'd been sitting, and walked shakily to him, stopping to get Hodgins' sword on the way. They put their arms around each other, and headed up the stairs.

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At the sound of the first gunshot, Angela let out a short scream. "That's it! We gotta go down there!"

"We can't Angie, we gotta wait it out."

"What if they're hurt? They could be bleeding, dying…"

"Actually, there was only one gunshot, so only one of them could be bleeding or dying," Zach pointed out.

Angela looked over at him, exasperated. "Shut up Zach. Please."

"I apologize." Zach closed his mouth.

They waited again, straining to hear anything that would indicate their friends were alive. Angela felt sick with worry. She buried herself in Hodgins' arms and sobbed silently. What if Bren was hurt? Or Booth? She wouldn't be able to live with herself, knowing that she hadn't done anything. But, deep down, she knew Jack was right. They couldn't go down to the basement. If they did, then they could get hurt too.

When the second gunshot rang out, Zach gave a little jump and Angela cried into the material of Jack's shirt. That was two gunshots.

Hodgins thought it over in his head. If the first shot had hit John, there wouldn't be a second shot at all, and Brennan and Booth would have been back up with them by now. If the shot had hit Brennan, Booth would have shot John right away, not after this much time had passed. If the shot had hit Booth, Brennan would have grabbed his gun and shot John, again, right away. Unless, of course, the other one hadn't been able to get the gun for whatever reason. John could have killed them both. Or, it was also possible that both shots had gone in the same person. Hodgins stopped thinking. His head was beginning to spin.

He looked over at Zach. He seemed to be thinking along the same lines, his face pale, but the wheels in his mind still churning out possibilities.

They were saved from further speculation by the sound of the basement door opening. Three heads snapped up to look at it, relief crashing over them as Brennan and Booth made their way into the room.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Angela cried, throwing her arms around them both. Hodgins and Zach came up behind her and joined in the group hug.

"Oh, Dr. Brennan, you are awesome!" Hodgins said as Brennan handed him the sword. They all slumped against the wall, and Brennan related what had gone on down in the basement while Booth called an ambulance for John.

"I should go down there and smack him around for hurting you guys, now that I know he's not dangerous anymore," Angela said.

"No, I would just like to get out of here," Brennan replied.

"Should we wait for the ambulance?" Zach asked.

"I will," Booth told them. "The rest you go back. We got two cars here." He looked pointedly at Brennan, whose face had that stubborn look about it. "That means you too Bones."

"Booth, I'm not going to just…"

He cut her off. "Didn't I owe you something? Oh that's right. I did." He kissed her then, as much to get her to be quiet as to feel her mouth on his.

They parted, and Booth whispered near her ear, "I love you Bones."

They broke eye contact to find three pairs of eyes on them. Angela was smiling, as was Hodgins. Zach, however, was watching intently.

"If I may ask, Agent Booth; I noticed that you didn't share an open mouthed kiss with Dr. Brennan. Is this not an appropriate situation for that kind of kiss?"

"You're killing me Zach."

"No, I'm not. I'm merely asking a question."

"Well don't. Now, go all of you. I'll catch up after I get John taken care of."

They left, Brennan very reluctantly, being pulled out the door by Angela.

They left in the Corvette, making the drive in silence. When they arrived at the hotel, they went to their separate rooms, Hodgins helping Zach with his key before retiring to his own room.

Brennan waited up for Booth. She had left as he'd wanted, but he hadn't said anything about not waiting for him. He came through the door nearly two hours later, stripped, and crashed into bed next to her. She didn't have to ask him to fill her in; the question was in her eyes.

"The locals showed up. They're all on the level. Very helpful. They've got a guy at the hospital for when John wakes up. They took my statement and I made a call to the Miami field office so they can track down Wilson and Crosby."

Brennan nodded, satisfied with the turn of events. She pulled the blankets over them and snuggled close to him. "I feel like I haven't slept in a week."

**A/N: One down, one more to go! Next one will be the conclusion. I'm kinda sad about it ending, but everything happens eventually right? Thanks as always for reading! You all are great!!**


	23. windmills

**A/N: I've put it off forever, but it had to happen sooner or later. I am updating this fic for the last time. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 23: windmills **

The three rooms on the fifth floor remained devoid of activity for the remainder of the night and a portion of the next day. Finally, a door opened silently, and Hodgins poked his head out into the hallway. He'd taken the liberty of getting them reservations on a flight back home, scheduled to leave that evening. Now, it was eleven in the morning and he had plans for Zach and the others on their last day here. He crept next door to Zach's room and placed a loud, insistent knock on the wood.

He heard shuffling and the door opened a crack, revealing an eye still heavy with fatigue.

"Can I help you?" The voice was laced with suspicion.

"Get up. I got us all a flight home that leaves this evening, and there's one more thing I want us to do before we go."

"Dare I ask?"

"Surprise."

Zach's head nodded. "Of course it is. I'll be ready shortly." He disappeared back in his room.

From there, Hodgins went back to his own room, and woke Angela up. He came back out in the hallway rubbing his shoulder where she'd punched him for waking her up. He knocked on the last door, getting no answer. He knocked again, louder, and was rewarded with an irritated groan followed by the door opening. Brennan stood framed in the doorway, her hair mussed and a frown on her face.

"What is it Hodgins? It's only," she glanced over at the bedside clock. "Well, I guess it isn't that early." Her eyes flicked back to his face, awaiting his answer.

"Get ready. I got us reservations to fly home later today and thought we could squeeze in one more activity."

"Which is what?" Brennan stifled a yawn.

"Surprise. Now get ready, and get him up." He pointed at Booth, who was snoring peacefully.

The door was shut in his face, and Hodgins went back to his room to wait for Angela.

Brennan turned from the door, and stretched, making her way back to the bed. If she gave in fully to her desires, she'd simply crash back into bed and sleep the rest of the day away until they had to catch their flight. However, it wasn't that simple. Hodgins' surprise had piqued her curiosity.

Since she had been awakened so abruptly, she felt that Booth should experience the same thing. The question was: how to do it? Bimbo Temperance's idea won out as her various selves battled for dominance, and she clambered up on the bed and began jumping.

She started out just bouncing on her side of the bed, but her jumping grew in strength, and she steadily began moving closer to him. When she got too close, he rolled over, still not waking up. She continued, and again, when she got closer, he rolled. This time, however, he ran out of mattress, and fell gracelessly to the floor in a tangle of sheets. He cursed under his breath and looked up to see Brennan standing on the edge peering down at him with a wicked smile on her face.

"Way to wake a guy up Bones." He sat up and ran a hand through his hair before reaching up and grabbing her wrist and pulling her down on the floor with him.

"Hodgins has a surprise for everyone today. He booked us on a flight this evening." She decided then that she'd gone long enough without kissing him and placed her lips over his, savoring the moment as she felt his arms wrap around her.

"Then we should get ready." He broke away from her kiss, and got to his feet, heading to the bathroom to shower, leaving her feeling bereft without his embrace.

The unspoken agreement was for everyone to meet in the lobby, which they did about an hour later. Hodgins took the lead. "Ok, Angie and Zach, you're with me. You two follow us, and try to keep up in that old people car." He ignored Booth's low growl of irritation and headed out to the parking lot, Angela and Zach following.

"Let's go Booth," Brennan tugged gently on his sleeve, leading them out after the other three.

"I'll show him who's slow," he grumbled.

"Of course you will, now come on."

As it happened the poor sedan drew the line at excessive speeds. And excessive speeds were necessary to keep up with the Corvette. Angela's phone chirped, and she put it up to her ear.

"Hello? You're what? Ok, we're turning around." She hung up, and looked at Hodgins. "Their car broke down."

Hodgins slapped the steering wheel with a laugh. "Ha! I knew it would happen eventually!" He turned the Corvette around, and they headed back the way they'd come. When they parked off to the side in front of the sedan, Hodgins could feel Booth glaring at him before he even saw him.

Upon making eye contact, Booth said evenly, "Not a word, Hodgins, not a word."

Hodgins held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Hey, I wasn't gonna say anything. Although…"

"Don't even think about it. I may not have my gun, but I could still kill you."

They waited for the tow truck and made arrangements for the car. Then Hodgins gestured to the Corvette. "Climb on in, we gotta get going." He clutched the keys to his chest when Booth held his hand out for them. "Oh, no. No way!"

"Remember my earlier threat? Still applies."

Hodgins sighed and threw the keys at him. They fell to the dusty ground and he bent to pick them up, giving Brennan a nice view. Bimbo Temperance, who seemed to be the dominant personality that day, gave an inward squeal. Booth slid in the driver's seat, and Angela indicated that Brennan could ride shotgun. Angela, Hodgins, and Zach squeezed in behind the front seats.

"Wow. This is…this is comfortable," Hodgins said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Where am I going Hodgins?"

"Keep going until you get to Exit 23. Then turn left, down four blocks, then a right."

When they arrived at their destination, Zach's face broke out into a smile. "Finally, something relaxing and amusing that I am capable of doing." He climbed out of the backseat, leaving Angela and Hodgins to stretch out their legs. Booth and Brennan waited for them and then they went to join Zach at the entrance to the miniature golf facility.

After selecting their clubs and golf balls, they stood around the first hole. Hodgins looked at Zach. "You first dude." Then he stood out of Zach's way, just in case.

Zach placed his ball down and carefully swung the putter. He watched as it connected with the ball and the orange sphere rolled along the path, over the small hill, and landed on the edge of the hole. He met Hodgins' surprised expression with a smug grin.

"I told you I could play miniature golf."

Hodgins swung next, followed by Angela and Brennan. Booth went last. He swung the putter, but with only a fraction of the force that was required. The ball made it halfway up the first hill before rolling back down. He just stood there, in shock, watching it roll past him and down the path toward the parking lot.

"Booth! Go after it!" Brennan's voice shook him from the trance and he took off after the ball, which had finally lost momentum, coming to a stop in the gravel of the parking lot. When he came back with the ball, the rest were hiding smiles, Hodgins and Brennan covering their laughter with their arms.

"Yea, yea, it's hilarious." He repositioned the ball and swung the club again. This time he hit it too hard and the ball sailed through the air, landing in the small pond off the side of the green.

His shoulders slumped for a second, then he marched resolutely to the pond and fished the ball out.

"Um, Agent Booth, you're not supposed to do that. It's cheating," Zach commented.

"Then I'm cheating. You wanna try and stop me?" Zach remained silent. Booth came back and took a third swing. This time it made it all the way, coming to a halt several feet away from the hole. He nodded. "Damn straight. Those first two shots were warm-ups."

"Sure, sure; warm-ups," Angela said with a giggle.

At the second to last hole, Zach was in the lead, followed by Hodgins, Brennan, and Angela. Booth was dead last, and was none too happy about it.

"Ya know, if we'd done something else, say, bowling, I'd be mopping the floor with all of you right now."

"So we've heard." Hodgins said, as Zach took his shot at the windmill hole. He calculated in his head for a moment, before hitting the ball at exactly the right moment. It went through the hole in the windmill, missing the swinging blades and dropping into the hole.

"If the rest of you have no objections, I'd like to indulge in a fist pump." He looked at his companions.

"Knock yourself out," Hodgins said. Zach did his fist pump and Hodgins took his turn.

Angela went next, her ball hitting the blade the first time. She swung again, and the ball went through. Brennan, like Zach, timed her swing perfectly, also sinking a hole in one. Booth took the maximum five swings but hit the blade every time.

"Ok, this is getting ridiculous." He picked up his ball and carried it around the windmill, dropping it into the hole on top of Zach's and Brennan's.

Brennan eyed him. "You cheated again."

"Aw, let him cheat Bren," Angela smiled and gave Booth's shoulder a pat.

"Yea, Bones, let me cheat." He flashed her a pouty look, and she sighed in resignation.

"Fine." She was rewarded for her lack of argument with a quick kiss, which brought a small smile to her face.

Leaving the windmill behind, they headed to the last hole, where Zach's day was made even better by winning a free game of golf. His happiness was short lived, however, as he realized that they were leaving in a matter of hours and that he'd never get to use it.

They stopped at the café next door and had a late lunch/early dinner before heading back to the hotel to get packed up.

"You didn't have to keep rubbing it in while we were in the café," Booth pointed out as he and Brennan were packing in their room.

"I didn't actually say anything about your poor miniature golfing performance. It was mostly Hodgins."

"The rest of you egged him on! Angela was laughing so hard I thought she'd have a heart attack."

"Well, some of the things Hodgins said were rather humorous."

"Humorous enough for you to snort your iced tea."

"In retrospect, that was a very bad moment to take a drink." She folded up a pair of slacks and placed them on top of the rest of the items in her suitcase before zipping it up. "Are you ready?"

"Yea."

Brennan looked at the clock. "We still have an hour before we're supposed to meet the others." She gave him a smile. "How about I try to cheer you up?"

He pretended to think for a moment, a finger resting on his chin. "Well, I suppose you could _try_." He returned her smile as she stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, claiming his mouth with hers.

"I have only one regret about this whole trip," Hodgins told Angela as they packed.

"What's that?"

"Zach's still a mega wuss."

"That's all you regret? What about our little adventure in the morgue last night?"

"That was fun! Stuff like that needs to happen to us more often."

Angela sniffed. "I'll pass. I do think Zach had fun today though, so that's a good thing. You set?"

"Yea, think we should head down to the lobby?"

"Hold on there. We still have time, and I think we need to remember why we came here in the first place."

"To get Brennan and Booth together?"

"Well, yea, but besides that."

Hodgins' eyebrow rose questioningly.

"Romantic vacation? Ring any bells?"

"Oh. _Oh_!" He moved their suitcases off the bed and beckoned her closer. "Always time for that."

Zach folded up his clothes and packed his books, placing it all in his suitcase. Then he scanned the room, making certain he hadn't forgotten anything. After he was satisfied that all his belongings were packed, he took his suitcase, and headed down to the lobby to check out and return his key. He then sat in a chair in the lobby to wait for the others.

They took the Corvette to the airport, their luggage stuffed in the trunk and on the floor at their feet. Upon arriving at the airport, Hodgins turned in the keys, failing to mention the water damaged upholstery and the weak smell that was still detectable throughout the car. They got their tickets and boarding passes and sat in chairs at the concourse, waiting. Zach pulled a book out of his backpack and began to read. Angela and Brennan were sharing some girl talk, and Hodgins and Booth exchanged a glance. Hodgins spoke first.

"Hey, man, about all that crap I gave you earlier. I'm sorry."

"It's all right." He grinned. Any amount of flack he'd taken had been worth it when Brennan made it up to him later on. "I was pretty bad."

Hodgins chuckled. "Yea, you were. I know little kids that play better than you."

"Enough."

"Sorry."

They were still waiting when Booth's phone rang. He got out of his seat and stood in a corner. Brennan kept her eyes on him during the call, and when he came back she asked, "What was that all about?"

"Miami field office. They have a lead on Crosby and Wilson."

"Already?"

"Yea. Our friend the security guard sang like a canary. They found out where they were staying while they planned their next step and the office has people on the way now."

Everyone smiled at this news. Everything was coming together. Their boarding call came over the intercom system.

"Well, that's us." Booth slung an arm around Brennan, pulling her close, and they led the way. Hodgins followed his example, putting an arm around Angela. Zach stood behind them. Hodgins looked over his shoulder at him.

"You feeling left out Z-man?" He motioned Zach closer and put his other arm around his shoulder. "Let's go home." And the three followed Booth and Brennan to the plane that would take them back to DC.

The End.

**A/N: There you have it. This was my first multi-chapter Bones fic and I hope you liked reading it as much as I liked writing it. Thank you for all the wonderful comments you all have given me. **


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